


Cynefin

by BBQkitten



Category: GOT7, Monsta X (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Blood Drinking, Bonding, Drowning, Everyone Gets Lots of Hugs, Everyone Loves Im Changkyun, Everyone Loves Jeon Jungkook, Everyone Loves Kim Yugyeom, Everyone Needs A Hug, Found Family, Gender Discrimination, Homelessness, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, M/M, Memory Loss, Minor Character Death, Minor suicidal ideation, Multi, Near Death Experiences, Starvation, Temporary Character Death, Terminal Illnesses, The following tags are strictly for chapter 11 only, Violence, excessive use of the word baby, the maknaes go through it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:55:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 83,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29008662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BBQkitten/pseuds/BBQkitten
Summary: “Are you— are you okay?” Yugyeom asked, taking a hesitant step towards the hunched over figure.“Jus’ leave me ‘lone,” he slurred, thumping his head sideways to connect it to the metal wall of the dumpster. “I don’t want to hurt you. Please leave. I’m so— I’m so thirsty.”Yugyeom shot the stranger a pitying look, shuffling to collect him in his arms. “You’re okay,” he reassured, tucking the smaller man against his chest as he brought his wrist up to the other’s mouth. “Drink. You look like you haven’t had a decent meal in weeks. It’s okay— you’ll be okay.” He used his free hand to pet the boy’s hair encouragingly, “You won’t hurt me. Just drink from me, okay? I’ll take care of you.”ORYugyeom finds an abandoned fledgling in an alley and decides to take him home to Jungkook. Who knew a vampire finding safety in a church would lead to something so monumentally life changing.
Relationships: BamBam/Choi Youngjae/Im Jaebum/Kim Yugyeom/Park Jinyoung/Mark Tuan/Jackson Wang, Chae Hyungwon/Im Changkyun/Lee Hoseok/Lee Jooheon/Lee Minhyuk/Son Hyunwoo/Yoo Kihyun, Everyone/Everyone, Im Changkyun | I.M/Everyone, Jeon Jungkook/Everyone, Jeon Jungkook/Jung Hoseok/Kim Namjoon/Kim Seokjin/Kim Taehyung/Min Yoongi/Park Jimin, Jeon Jungkook/Kim Yugyeom/Im Changkyun, Kim Yugyeom/Everyone
Comments: 133
Kudos: 466





	1. First Encounters

**Author's Note:**

> Cynefin - a place that feels like home.

It was raining when he found him. 

Yugyeom had turned down the alley, intent on finding  _ something _ to eat for Jungkook and himself when he, quite literally, stumbled upon a hunched over figure. The figure groaned, curling up into a tighter ball against the side of the dumpster Yugyeom had been intending to raid.

“Oh my god,” he exclaimed, jumping back a step. “Are you— are you okay?” He couldn’t see much of the figure, besides his small, slim stature. The man released a pained whimper, shaking his head underneath his hood. Yugyeom took a hesitant step forward again, crouching down in front of the boy. “I’m not going to hurt you. Do you need a hospital?”

The stranger hugged his knees to his chest, burying his face into his legs as he shook his head. “Jus’ leave me ‘lone,” he slurred, thumping his head sideways to connect it to the metal wall of the dumpster. 

As his head turned, Yugyeom caught sight of the man’s white undershirt stained red. “You’re hurt,” he gasped, fully dropping down to his knees in front of the individual and reaching out slowly to cup the man’s bicep. “Please let me help,” he kept his hold gentle as he slowly pulled the man’s arm away from his body, causing him to unfold himself reluctantly. “I know some basic first aid magic. Please.” 

The man slowly looked up, body shaking as his blood red eyes made contact with Yugyeom’s own. “I don’t want to hurt you,” the boy whispered. “Please leave. I’m so— I’m so  _ thirsty. _ ”

Yugyeom shot the stranger a pitying look, shuffling to collect him in his arms. “You’re okay,” he reassured, tucking the smaller man against his chest as he brought his wrist up to the other’s mouth. “Drink. You look like you haven’t had a decent meal in weeks. It’s okay— you’ll be okay.” He used his free hand to pet the boy’s hair encouragingly, “You won’t hurt me. Just drink from me, okay? I’ll take care of you.” He pressed his wrist against the other’s lips encouragingly, smiling softly as he finally felt the cautious pinpricks of baby fangs piercing his skin. “Good boy,” he murmured as he continued his ministrations. 

The boy sucked for a few minutes greedily before Yugyeom gently tapped on the back of his neck, signaling the need for him to stop. He pulled away, licking his lips as he guiltily looked back at his savior. “I— thank you,” he bowed the best he could in their positions causing Yugyeom to smile fondly. 

“You’re very welcome,” he replied, intertwining their fingers so that the other man didn’t move too far away. “I’m Kim Yugyeom.”

“Im Changkyun,” he murmured, eyes trained on where their hands met as his fingers clenched and unclenched rapidly, like he was unused to having someone hold his hand. 

Yugyeom smiled widely, shifting the smaller man so that they were facing each other better. “What year were you born? I’m a ‘97 liner.”

“Ah,” Changkyun smiled, looking up to meet the other’s eyes again. “I’m ‘96.”

“That makes you my hyung,” he giggled, rubbing his thumb absentmindedly across the back of the elder's hand. Yugyeom’s expression turned serious. “Were you just turned?” He motioned towards the dried blood caked on Changkyun’s white undershirt and was flaking off his neck. 

The elder nodded, looking down forlornly. “I don’t really know what happened. One minute I was walking to work and the next I was being pulled into this alley and my neck felt like it was being torn apart and he— he didn’t say anything— and just— just left me bleeding out and walked away like— like it was nothing— like he didn’t care and— I thought I was gonna die— I  _ did _ die. But then I woke up and I was so— so  _ hungry. _ ” He paused, full-body shudder making its way through his body before he continued on. “I realized what I was— what that man did to me— right away. I didn’t want to hurt anyone so I just stayed here. I was waiting for the sun to come up and finish me off.” 

Yugyeom gasped, pulling Changkyun back into his arms. “No,” he whispered, pressing a soft kiss into the vampire’s hair. “You’re safe. Me and Kookie’ll take care of you, hyung. Just you watch. You’re not alone in this.” He rocked his elder as Changkyun broke down into sobs. “We’ll take care of you, and you’ll take care of us. Hmm? How does that sound, hyung? We’ll be a pack. Just the three of us— our own little family. We don’t need any stupid sires,” he murmured into the elder’s hair like a promise. Changkyun hugged him back tightly, wrapping his arms securely around the younger’s torso and pressing his face into his chest.

“Never had that before.”

“A pack?” He asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

“A family.”

After a few minutes Yugyeom stood up, letting go of Changkyun in the process only to reach out with his hand again once he was fully standing. “Come on, hyung. Let’s go someplace dry. I’m sure Kookie is worried about me by now.” He shot the elder a blinding smile. “He’s going to  _ love _ you.”

As they approached an old decrepitated church, a buff black haired boy came running out at full speed. “Where the hell have you been, Yugyeom?” He growled, stopping a few inches in front of the taller boy to pull him securely in his arms. He pressed his nose against the column of Yugyeom’s neck, dragging it up and down a few times before pulling away. “You smell funny.”

Yugyeom laughed, pulling away to wrap his arm around Changkyun’s shoulders. “This is Changkyun-hyung, Kookie. Hyung, this is Jeon Jungkook— resident werewolf and best friend.”

Changkyun bowed politely, “It’s nice to meet you, Jungkook-ssi. I’m sorry for keeping Yugyeom and worrying you.”

Jungkook frowned, turning to face Yugyeom with a raised eyebrow, silently asking for an explanation. 

“His sire abandoned him before his first feeding this morning. I found him in an alley waiting for the sun,” the witch explained, squeezing the elder’s shoulders reassuringly when he felt him tense beside him. 

“What the fuck,” Jungkook muttered, stepping closer to the newly turned vampire. “That’s so fucked up. Do you need to feed? God that must have been so fucking scary.” He wrapped his arms around Changkyun, pulling the smaller man into his chest. “You’re okay now, though. We’ll take care of you, hyung.” He nuzzled his nose into the vampire’s neck, releasing a pleased little growl. “You smell like Gyeomie. Was he your first?”

Changkyun’s eyes widened, nodding his head as he took in the two boys’ affection in a stunned stupor. 

Jungkook pulled back, smiling widely, “You can feed from me next.” He brought his hand up to affectionately stroke his thumb up and down the column of the elder’s throat, “The first few people a newly turned vampire feeds from determines their scent. The more you feed from us the more you’ll smell like us.” He grinned impossibly wider, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the tip of Changkyun’s nose. Jungkook pulled back, wrapping a large arm around each boy’s shoulders as he led them inside. “Come on, let’s go before the sun decides to come out and hurt our hyung.”

The vampire looked down in embarrassment, missing the fond looks the two younger boys shot each other over his head. 

“Mhmm, I couldn’t find any food by the way, Kookie,” Yugyeom stated as they entered the nave. Jungkook released the two, leaving them to weave through the aisles up to the apse where he grabbed a crumpled McDonalds bag from behind the cracked altar. “Oh you absolute beauty, Jungkookie. I could kiss you.”

Jungkook scrunched his nose, holding out the bag for the younger to grab. “Your kisses are too slobbery— if I didn’t know better I’d mistake  _ you _ for the dog in this pack.”

Yugyeom laughed loudly, plopping down onto a sleeping bag in the crossing of the church, patting the spot next to him for Changkyun, who was still standing hesitantly in the nave. The newly-turned vampire slowly made his way over, gently sitting down next to the witch.

“You guys live here?”

The werewolf beamed proudly, flopping down on the other sleeping bag next to them. “Isn’t it great?” He asked, stretching out on his back to look up at the stained glass textiles on the ceiling. “When we first got to Seoul we had this one backalley behind a grocery store— great food but keeping the territory was  _ impossible _ . Gyeomie nearly lost a finger. We found this place a few months later— It’s been abandoned for years and literally no one looks twice at it thanks to Yugyeomie.” At Changkyun’s confused head tilt, he continued, “Gyeom-ah is a white witch. He placed a protection ward over this church once we claimed it. Anyone who looks at it just sees an empty field.”

“And— they forget all about it as soon as they look away,” Yugyeom added around a mouthful of stale fries. He moaned, shoving a few more in his mouth before swallowing harshly in order to continue. “That reminds me— I need to sun-proof the windows so hyung doesn’t burn.” The young witch stood up, brushing the salt off his fingers before grabbing a sharpie from a backpack by his pillow. He looked up at the high windows sharply before diving back to Changkyun, tackling him on to the sleeping bag and covering him with his body just as a ray of sunshine broke through the clouds. “Fuck,” he whispered as Jungkook frantically unfolded his sleeping bag to blanket over the two. “You okay, hyung? Did you get hit at all?” 

Changkyun shook his head, eyes wide as he stared at Yugyeom’s frantic face inches from his own. “I’m okay, Yugyeom-ah.” He brought a hand up to gently cup the younger’s cheek, “Thank you.”

Yugyeom beamed, leaning down to press a wet kiss to the vampire’s forehead before wiggling out from under the sleeping bag. “Stay there, hyung. Just let me tint the windows real quick and then this home will be vampire-safe, okay?”

The eldest hummed his consent, startling as Jungkook carefully slid into the impromptu blanket fort, smiling at the vampire as he snuggled close. He frowned, rolling onto his side to face the younger in confusion. “You don’t know me,” he stated matter-of-factly.

He shot Changkyun a fond smile, reaching forward to intertwine their fingers. “I don’t,” he agreed, dragging his thumb across the other’s skin gently. “But my wolf recognizes you as pack— you smell like Gyeomie and he wouldn’t feed just any old bloodsucker so I trust his gut. He has good intuition.” He brought Changkyun’s hand up to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to the back of his hand. “Tell me about yourself. You were changed recently, right?”

Changkyun nodded, “Yeah, last night on my way to work.” He swallowed, closing his eyes. “I’m sure I’ve been fired by now.”

Jungkook laughed, wrapping his arms around the smaller man. “Oh hyung, I’m sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. I promise, it's just so fucked. Like— you had a life yesterday and today your whole world changed.”

“It wasn’t much of a life, if I’m honest,” he muttered, nuzzling in close to the younger’s chest. “I had a shit job that paid for a shit room in a shit brothel.” He released an unamused laugh, “Honestly— in retrospect— getting bit and being found by Yugyeom was probably the best thing that could have ever happened to me.” He was quiet for a second, basking in Jungkook’s warm embrace before continuing hesitantly, “I feel safe with you guys— I know I just met you but—”

“It feels like we’ve known each other our whole lives?” The younger finished, pulling back slightly to look the vampire in the eyes. Changkyun nodded before snuggling back into the wolf’s firm chest. “That’s how I felt when Gyeomie found me.” He brought a hand up to gently run his fingers through Changkyun’s hair as he spoke. “I was rejected by my family pack when I presented. Gyeom found me in a convenience store in Busan when we were teenagers.” He laughed, closing his eyes at the memory. “The store clerk caught me stealing and Yugyeom kicked over a display to distract him and helped me get away. We’ve been a pack ever since.”

Changkyun crooked his head, as he glanced up at the younger. “What do you mean by presented? Why would your pack kick you out for that?”

Jungkook shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, “I presented as a beta. Most traditional wolf packs— like my family pack— see betas as the useless second gender. If you don’t serve a purpose you get the boot.” 

“I’m sorry, Jungkook-ah. That’s horrible.”

The wolf smiled airily, “It’s okay. I’ve gotten a pretty great pack out of the deal, in my opinion.” 

Changkyun returned the smile just as Yugyeom pulled the sleeping bag off the two of them. “Okay, the nave through apse is vampire-friendly territory, hyung.” He sat down behind Changkyun, placing a warm hand on the elder’s hip. “We’ll have to get you a bed tomorrow.”

Jungkook pouted, pulling Changkyun closer to his chest, “But hyung can just sleep between us, Gyeom. Look at him! He’s so tiny— he’ll fit perfectly.”

Yugyeom laughed, moving to lay down and sandwich the vampire between the two of them, making Changkyun giggle. “Ah— this is true. But I still think hyung’ll want his own space from time to time.” He leaned over Changkyun’s head to press a soft kiss to the wolf’s cheek. “It’s okay, Kookie, I’ll cuddle you when Kyunnie-hyung’s not in the mood to deal with your dog breath.”

“Yah!” Jungkook scolded, reaching across to smack the witch. “So rude.” He pulled Changkyun back into his arms tightly, pulling the smaller man up and over his body to snuggle him with his back to Yugyeom. “Just for that you’re sleeping alone.”

“Noooo— Kookie!” Yugyeom wailed, wrapping his long arms around Jungkook and Changkyun from behind, pulling them close. “I’ll die without snuggles. I’m sorry for insulting you, pup— please give me back our tiny hyungie?”

Jungkook sighed playfully before tightening his grip on Changkyun and rolling him over his body again, laughing at the vampire’s squeak. “Yah, Jungkook-ah,” he scolded once he had been settled between the two larger boys once again. “I am not your stuffed animal.”

The wolf just smiled, pulling on the back of Changkyun’s neck so that he was pressed close to his chest. “Of course you aren’t, hyung,” He replied cheekily. “It’s time to sleep though, Changkyun-hyung. You can feed from me in the morning and then we’ll work on getting you some stuff later.”

Changkyun sighed, closing his eyes against the younger’s chest, allowing himself to be lulled to sleep with Jungkook’s steady heartbeat thrumming in his ear. 

Jungkook looked at Yugyeom over the elder’s head once he was certain he was asleep. “We’re keeping him.”

The witch snorted, burrowing his nose in the crevice of Changkyun’s shoulder. “No shit, Kookie. We can’t just abandon him.” He paused, scrunching his face in worry. “Will we be able to handle it though? New vampires are a lot of work.”

“For him?” Jungkook asked, stroking a soft line up and down the elder’s spine. “For him we’ll make it work. Hyung deserves a family— and we’re the best family anyone could ever ask for.”

Yugyeom laughed, wrapping his long arms around the two of them. “Hell yeah we are.”

When Changkyun woke again he was still being cradled by Jungkook’s muscly arms but his back was cold where Yugyeom had been. “Gyeom-ah?” He mumbled, pulling his head sleepily away from the wolf’s chest in order to search the church for his missing dongsaeng. 

“I’m here, hyung,” the witch called from the back of the nave. He heard the tell-tale sounds of shoes hitting tile as Yugyeom made his way back up to the crossing, sitting down next to the elder’s head. Yugyeom ran his hands through Changkyun’s locks, tutting as he pulled out a few clumps of dirt. “You need a shower, Changkyun-hyung,” he stated as he dragged his fingers through his hair again, allowing his nails to drag across the other’s scalp lightly to release a few more clumps of...  _ something _ . “I’ll show you to the bathroom after breakfast.” He reached over Changkyun to shake the wolf awake. 

Jungkook grumbled, swatting the witch’s hand away half-heartedly before pulling Changkyun closer to his chest like he was an oversized teddy bear causing the vampire to giggle. The wolf smiled, eyes still closed as he bent his head down to nuzzle the smaller man. “Morning, hyungie,” he mumbled, pressing his lips to Changkyun’s forehead before pulling back and making eye contact with Yugyeom who was watching their interaction with a fond smile. “Morning Gyeom. You get breakfast?” 

Yugyeom nodded, pulling out a paper bag from his backpack. “Yeah, Seulgi-noona gave me the rejects.”

“Score!” Jungkook exclaimed, sitting up. He pulled Changkyun with him, setting the smaller man in his lap with his back to him. The wolf wrapped his arms around Changkyun’s torso in a tight hug before extending his wrist and using a claw to create a cut, bringing it up to the elder’s mouth. “Drink, hyung,” he commanded. “You’ve got to be starving by now.” Once Changkyun attached his mouth and started sucking, the younger boy extended his free hand out for a donut from Yugyeom. Jungkook moaned, closing his eyes as powdered sugar rained down on Changkyun’s shoulder. “So fucking good. Seulgi-noona is the best.”

The witch hummed his agreement, mouth full of his own slightly overcooked danish. He smiled as he watched Changkyun close his eyes, mouth still firmly attached to the wolf’s wrist but sucking slow languid mouthfuls. 

Jungkook finished his donut before petting Changkyun’s hair back from his forehead, allowing the elder boy to continue taking unhurried swallows. After a few more minutes, the vampire pulled back, licking Jungkook’s wrist in thanks before letting go and settling back against the wolf's chest happily. “You’re blood is— it’s really sweet, Jungkook-ah,” he finally stated, looking over to the back of the nave to avoid eye contact with either boy sitting next to him. 

Yugyeom laughed, clapping his hands loudly as he squirmed happily. “That’s because Jungkookie is so sweet!”

The wolf threw a half-hearted swat at the other boy, rolling his eyes fondly. “What does Yugyeom taste like then, Kyunnie-hyung?”

He thought for a moment, closing his eyes as he turned to rest his cheek against Jungkook’s clavicle. “Like— like chai. He states like spicy tea. You’re more like vanilla.” He hummed contentedly, scenting against the wolf unconsciously. “You’re really warm like vanilla too.”

Jungkook smiled, wrapping his arms around the elder again and pressing a soft kiss to the other’s cheek. He heard Yugyeom shuffle closer, wrapping his long arms around them both from Changkyun’s front. The vampire hummed happily between the two. 

He felt Yugyeom press his lips to his forehead, murmuring softly against his skin, “How about that shower, hyung? You feeling up to that?”

Changkyun hummed happily, nodding his head against the witch’s as he wrapped his arms around the other’s shoulders. “ _ Please. _ ”

Yugyeom giggled, standing up with Changkyun still wrapped around him causing the vampire to squeak in quite an undignified fashion as his feet were lifted off the floor. The witch giggled again, wrapping his arms under the smaller boy’s butt to lift him higher around his body, Changkyun wrapping his legs around the other’s waist as Yugyeom began walking the two of them off to the left transept and down a narrow passageway. He brought Changkyun into what was once probably the priest’s quarters, moving past the moth-eaten bed and into an adjoining bathroom that was much cleaner than the rest of the church. 

The witch set Changkyun down on the sink, moving to start the shower. “I’ve charmed the room to have running water. Unfortunately it only lasts for about fifteen minutes before the magic runs out so you’ll have to take a quick shower. Sorry, hyung.”

Changkyun smiled appreciatively at the younger. “No that’s okay, Yugyeom-ah. Thank you.”

The boy beamed, running to press a quick kiss to the other’s cheek before running to the door. “I’ll leave some clothes outside for you, hyungie. You can just bin your ruined ones.”

The vampire shot the boy another grateful smile as Yugyeom closed the door before stripping and getting in the shower. He sighed as the warm water pulsed down on him in heavy torrents. Knowing he didn’t have a lot of time, he grabbed the soap, liberally pouring it onto his hand and scrubbing at his hair and neck thoroughly. As the water cooled, the pressure dropped as well, causing the vampire to shiver and turn off the shower. He wrapped the towel hanging next to him around his body, padding over to the door to retrieve his newly borrowed clothes. The vampire brought the dark hoodie up to his nose, sniffing at the warm cinnamon scent embedded in the fabric before pulling it on. The sleeves fell far over his fingers, bottom of the hoodie coming down to his mid thighs. If he still had a beating heart, all the blood would have rushed to his cheeks as his body attempted to blush at the thought of how much  _ bigger _ his dongsaengs were compared to him. He quickly pulled on the sweatpants, ignoring the fact that the bottoms noticeably scrunched around his ankles.

Cautiously, he made his way back out to the crossing, his bare feet making little  _ taptaps _ along the linoleum as he went. As he neared, he saw Jungkook sitting up on his sleeping bag, Yugyeom wrapped up firmly in his arms as his neck was thoroughly scented by the wolf. He inched closer, carefully trying not to interrupt their personal moment. Yugyeom looked up, smiling at Changkyun as he patted the area next to him. As he sat down, Jungkook shifted, moving to scent the vampire as well. He hummed happily, nuzzling Changkyun’s neck softly. “You smell like us hyung,” he whispered into the elder’s skin. “You smell like home.”

A few weeks after Changkyun joined the two younger boys’ makeshift pack, Yugyeom grabbed the elder’s hand and led him excitedly up a set of winding stairs. The two ran up, avoiding the one step that had rotted through and making their way out into the cool night air at the top of the bell tower. Changkyun gasped, eyes roaming greedily over the gorgeous city skyline as they moved to sit on the half wall overlooking the bright city lights. 

“Breathtaking isn’t it?” Yugyeom asked, threading his fingers through Changkyun’s.

The elder nodded, eyes unable to leave the view long enough to glance at the witch. 

“I come up here to think a lot. My family coven’s home had a tower similar to this— though their tower overlooked this old, cursed lake instead of a bright city. Very different ambiance,” he grinned, squeezing Changkyun’s fingers as the vampire finally tore his eyes away to look at his dongsaeng. Yugyeom looked up at the sky fondly, “The stars are still the same though. You know— there’s this old saying that stars are souls that were ripped from their lives too soon. I— I had a cousin— my aunt’s daughter— when she presented her aura to our coven, she— it was green— and  _ white _ — and they— they were all dark—  _ black _ witches. My aunt took one look at Yoojin’s magical core and tore her power straight out of her chest. Noona’s screams— I— I will never be able to get those screams out of my head. My family coven, hyung— they’re not good people— the worst actually. They hate anything light or good and if there’s even a  _ hint _ of it in your aura they’ll drain you and leave you as a husk before you can blink. 

“My— I felt my aura develop shortly after they— after they killed Yoojin-noona. It— it was  _ white _ and I knew that if my coven found out I was as good as dead. So I hid it— my power. Let them think I was a late bloomer and then that I was a dud when I still didn’t present.” He took a deep shuddering breath, leaning into Changkyun’s shoulder when the elder wrapped his arm around his waist, offering silent support as he listened. “A coven has no use for a dud— there’s no power to draw from or cast off from— so they cast me out.” He brought his arm out in front of them, rolling up his sleeve where a faded burn mark sat innocuously. “I ran— lived on the streets of Busan for a few months before I found Jungkook. We decided to start over— neither of our families wanted us so we made our own.”

It was silent for a few minutes, Yugyeom pressing his face in the elder’s chest as Changkyun rubbed soothing circles on his back. “Thank you for sharing your past with me, Yugyeom-ah. You— you were so brave. Hyung is so proud of you.” He brought a hand up to card his fingers through the younger’s hair. “You’re so good, Gyeomie. We’re so lucky to have you.” 

The two sat up there, basking in each other’s presence. Changkyun looked up at the stars appraisingly, “Which star do you think your noona is, Gyeom?”

A small smile slowly stretched across the younger’s face as he pointed, “That one— next to Pollux— she was too kind not to be a part of his constellation.”

Changkyun pressed a soft kiss to the witch’s hair, “I’m sure she’s watching over you, baby. I  _ know  _ she would be so proud of the person you’ve become— what you’ve made for yourself.”

“She would have loved you— and Kookie— she would have loved Kookie.”

“I’m sure we’d have loved her too,” He rubbed the boy’s back, noting the shiver that ran through the younger’s body. “Okay baby, time for bed, yeah?”

Yugyeom nodded, shifting over the side wall to stand up, hand clasped tightly with his hyung’s. “Sleep with me tonight?” He asked, avoiding eye contact with the vampire.

Changkyun smiled, wrapping his arm around the younger as he kissed his cheek fondly, “Of course, baby.” He turned back to the night sky, bringing a hand up in farewell, “Goodnight, Yoojin-ssi.”

The witch bit back a sniffle, shooting the elder a wobbly smile as he too waved goodnight to his cousin. “Goodnight, noona.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	2. Lead Me to Holy Ground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changkyun runs into some trouble and makes some new hyung-friends along the way.

Changkyun was fucked.

He was utterly and completely fucked. Dawn was approaching rapidly and he was much too far from home to reach safety in time. 

The sun was going to kill him. 

He bit his lip, eyes searching the shopfronts frantically before they settled on a shabby-looking boutique with an over-sized awning. He frowned, making his way over to the covering, pulling his hood up and over his head and wrapping the sleeves over his fingers. 

This was going to have to do. 

Yugyeom was going to kill him— if he survived the day, that is. 

He groaned when he tested the door only to find it inevitably locked. The vampire dejectedly slid down the wall, pulling his knees up to his chest as he made sure all of his skin was covered by his clothing before ducking his head down between his knees and covering the sides of his face with his sleeve-covered arms. He tried to settle in for a long day of waiting for night, praying that the thugs that had chased him so far from home wouldn’t find him again, knowing that if they did he was a goner for sure. 

Maybe a few months ago, when he was alone and had shit to live for he wouldn’t have cared what happened to him, but since meeting Jungkook and Yugyeom, he had something to live for and someone to protect— someone to miss him if he didn’t come home. 

He sighed, knowing how worried his two dongsaengs were going to be but having no way to fix it. Changkyun had no idea how much time had passed since the sun came up. He could hear the busy foot traffic from the main street around the corner along with the random hurried footsteps as someone rushed past him to get out of the sketchy side street. The sun was warm on his back, seeping through his clothes and most likely giving him a light sunburn from the overexposure. Jungkook and Yugyeom had been sure to educate him on the dangers of the sun during his first few years of vampirism. He shifted slightly, butt numb from sitting in the same position for so long, limbs freezing from the biting winter wind, and back itching from the sun’s burning rays.

It was going to be a long day. 

All of a sudden his back went cold, causing him to jerk and nearly sit upright to see what had happened. He released a tiny whimper, pressing his arms more tightly to his head in the hopes that whoever had come across him would decide he was uninteresting enough and leave him be. There was some shuffling as the person blocking the sun from him moved closer.

“Are you alright, sir?”

Changkyun groaned, tucking his knees tighter to his chest. “I’m fine,” he muttered. “Please leave me alone.”

The person in front of him shifted even closer, snuffling slightly in the winter air before gasping and sniffing more noticeably. “You’re a vampire,” he stated, crouching down and allowing the sun’s rays to reach his covered back once more.

The young vampire whimpered, shuddering as the heat returned. 

“Oh god,” the stranger exclaimed. “Hobi, get your umbrella. He’s a baby.”

There was an urgent hum of acknowledgement from another stranger Changkyun couldn’t see before there was a sound of an umbrella opening and his back was cool once again. He sighed, relaxing his posture slightly as he felt the two men crowd him in, shielding him completely from the sun. A large coat was draped over his back, the hood pulled up over his head as one of the strangers tucked the sides of the coat around him. 

“You’re okay,” the stranger said, gently pulling Changkyun’s arms away from his head so that he could pull them into the sleeves of the over-sized winter coat. “We’ve got you.” Changkyun felt a large hand gently ruffle the top of his head over his hood. “You can look up, kid. Hobi’s put us in a tinted bubble. The sun won’t hurt you.” He felt the hand move down to softly rub at his sore back. 

Carefully, Changkyun tilted his head to the side, testing the waters slowly only to meet a wide, hoodie-clad chest. He looked up to meet a smiling face with white blonde hair sticking out from underneath a beanie. The world was weird, he noted, like he was looking through a pair of sunglasses. He blinked rapidly a few times before sitting up completely, looking up to find the sun high in the sky above him, muted in color. Changkyun looked back down, furrowing his eyebrows at his two saviors. The first man had bulging muscles underneath his tight hoodie as he smiled at Changkyun softly, his hand having moved to the vampire’s elbow when he had sat up. The other man had blazing red hair, shooting Changkyun a heart-shaped smile as he crouched down in front of them. 

“Hi, kid,” he greeted, voice soft and melodic as it flowed out of his mouth. He brought a hand up to softly ruffle Changkyun’s bangs where they were poking out from his hoodie. “What are you doing out so late?”

Changkyun shrugged, looking down at his scuffed shoes as he bit his lip. “I ran out of time before the sun came up.”

The redhead frowned, wrapping his large hands around Changkyun’s smaller ones. “What’s your name, honey?”

“Changkyun,” he muttered, distracted by the warmth radiating from where the man was touching him. 

He smiled, rubbing his thumb softly across the back of the vampire’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Changkyun-ssi. My name is Hoseok but you can call me Hobi or hyung.”

“I’m also Hoseok,” the blonde buff man exclaimed, smiling widely as if he was internally laughing at an inside joke Changkyun wasn't privy to. “But everyone calls me Wonho. I’m also you’re hyung.” 

Changkyun bowed as best he could in his position, ignoring the twinge the movement sent through his back. “Thank you for helping me.”

“Where’s your sire, Changkyun-ah,” Wonho asked, motioning to his back towards Hobi who immediately jumped to scoot behind the youngest and pull the coat and hoodie away from his back, making Changkyun lean forward as his back was exposed. Hobi tutted, slowly rubbing his hands up and down the burned skin gently.

“I— I don’t have a sire, Wonho-hyung,” he responded, eyes unwillingly falling closed as Hobi’s hands soothed the burn. 

Wonho’s eyes widened, squeezing Changkyun’s hands tightly. “What do you mean you don’t have a sire?” He asked, alarmed. “You— you’re just a baby. Who is taking care of you?”

Changkyun frowned, looking away. “He— he left me right after turning me. I— I don’t think he intended for me to last long after sun-up.” He felt Hoseok’s hands still on his back as he spoke. “I’m not alone though. I’ve got a— a pack.”

“A pack?” Hoseok asked, hands slowly moving again as he finished healing the vampire’s back, carefully pulling the boy’s clothing back into place. Changkyun nodded, looking up to meet the witch’s concerned eyes. “Why would your pack let you go out so close to sunrise, kid?”

“It wasn’t when I left— I got— it’s not the best neighborhood, hyung— I got chased and I ended up here. It took me forever to lose them and— I’m honestly not sure where entirely  _ here _ is— if I’m being honest. But— Gyeomie is sick and Kookie is the only one strong enough to carry him to the toilet if he needs to throw up so I went out for food and medicine.” He bit at his lip as he scratched his wrist anxiously. “They’ve got to be so worried by now.”

Wonho hummed, wrapping his arm around Changkyun in a hug, fully engulfing the smaller boy in his arms. “You’re okay, Changkyun-ah. Is your phone dead? Do you want to use mine to call them to let them know you’re safe?” 

Changkyun shook his head, burying his face in the other’s chest as he sniffled sadly, allowing a few tears to escape his closed eyes. “None of us have phones, hyung.”

He felt the larger man stiffen around him as Hobi brought his hand up to gently pet Changkyun’s hair. “Where do you and your pack live, Changkyun-ah?” Hobi asked, keeping his voice eerily even as if he was biting back on an emotion he didn’t want the younger to pick up on. “We’ll drive you home and help you explain what happened to your packmates, huh? We can stop and pick up some food and medicine for them too.”

“I don’t want to be a bother, hyungs,” he murmured, trying to pull away from Wonho. The larger man growled, keeping a firm hold on Changkyun as he nuzzled his face into the younger’s neck. 

“You’re not a bother, Changkyun-ah— never a bother.” Wonho pulled back just far enough to press a soft kiss to the vampire’s neck. “Let hyungs take care of you.” 

Hobi laughed standing up and reaching his arms above his head to stretch. “Let’s go meet your pack, Changkyun-ah,” he sang, stepping back to make room for the other two to stand up as well. He paused, frowning, “I can’t hold the shield while we’re moving, kiddo.” He pulled the giant coat’s hood as far over Changkyun’s face as it would go, reaching down to zip it up to his chin as well. “This will protect you from the sun but you’re not going to be able to stand the light.” 

The witch gestured towards Wonho who cautiously opened his arms as he asked, “Can hyung carry you? You can hide your face in my chest so that way no light can get to you.” 

Changkyun was silent for a moment, thinking hard before hesitantly nodding his head. It was a lot of blind trust he was giving to the two virtual strangers but he couldn’t deny how safe they made him feel. “Thank you, hyung.”

Wonho smiled, stepping forward to wrap his arms around the younger boy and lifting him up. Changkyun wrapped his arms around Wonho’s neck and buried his face in his chest. Hobi stepped forward, tucking in the sides of Changkyun’s hood and tying his sleeves together, making the younger giggle cutely into Wonho’s chest. 

“Aish,” Wonho scolded playfully. “Don’t be so adorable when I can’t see your cute little face to appreciate it, Kkukkungie.”

“Kkukkungie?” Changkyun asked as he felt the elder begin to move.

The wolf laughed, shaking the younger in his arms. “You’re cute— like a puppy.” He let out a little giggle, “Too bad Alpha hadn’t found you first— you would have made an adorable wolf. Very cuddly.”

Changkyun buried his face further into the wolf’s chest, feeling his face try valiantly to produce a blush. He heard Hobi giggling ahead of them as he heard the sound of a car door opening. He felt his body tilt backwards as Wonho sat down in the car, keeping Changkyun in his lap as Hobi closed the door behind them. After the witch got into the driver’s seat, Wonho reached behind his neck to untie Changkyun’s sleeves. 

“You’re safe in here, Changkyun-ah,” he murmured, petting the back of the younger’s head. “We’ve got vampires in our clan so all of our cars are sun-tinted.” 

The vampire pulled back, smiling gratefully to the elder before shifting into his own seat next to him. “Thank you, hyung.”

Hobi clapped from the front seat. “Now, Kkukkung,” he started, grinning widely. “Where are we going?”

Changkyun paused, frowning when a thought occurred to him. “I— I don’t think you’ll be able to find it. Gyeomie charmed our home so that no one can see it.”

Hobi smiled fondly, reaching back to ruffle the younger’s hair. “That’s a smart kid you got in your pack. Is it just the three of you? You, Gyeom, and— Kook, right?”

The vampire nodded, smiling at the mention of his packmates. “Yeah— Yugyeom and Jungkook— they’re the best. We live in Jungnang-gu.”

Wonho laughed incredulously, “You’re a long way from home, kiddo. We’re in Mapo-gu.”

Changkyun’s eyes widened, staring at the wolf in shock. “I ran  _ that _ far?”

Hobi giggled from the front seat, starting up the car and pulling into traffic. “You’re supernatural, Kyun-ah. It’s really not that far for someone like you.”

“It is when you’re still a newborn,” Wonho stated, frowning at the younger. “It’ll take a bit before you build the stamina to run like that without draining your reserves. Are you thirsty, Changkyun-ah?”

He looked down at his lap, swallowing thickly. “I— I have it under control, hyung. Don’t worry.”

“You said that Yugyeom was sick right? Which means you won’t be able to feed from him and if Jungkook is caring for him then he will need all of his energy as well.” The wolf wrapped his arm around the younger’s waist, pulling him carefully into his lap again. “Take from, hyung, okay?” He pulled his free arm up to his face, nicking his wrist with his tooth before holding it out to Changkyun. “Please?”

Changkyun sighed, wrapping his fingers around the elder’s wrist, “I’m— Thank you, hyung,” he whispered before latching his lips onto the other’s skin and taking hesitant swallows. He closed his eyes, humming contentedly as the wolf’s blood hit his tongue. Changkyun continued sucking as Wonho petted his hair; he heard a phone vibrate and Hoseok shift to pull it out of his pocket and bring it up to his ear.

“Hi, hyung,” the elder sang, pulling onto the highway. “Ah, yeah— we’re gonna be late to dinner... hyuuuung, don’t be mad— we made a new friend!... Mhmmm— yeah... Caught a baby vamp hiding from the sun... yeah, we did... of course, hyung... no, he doesn’t... mhmm, yeah, we’re taking him back to his house now. We’re gonna stop and get some food and medicine though first— that was the whole reason he was out in the first place... yeah, hyungie, we’ll take care of them... Love you too, hyung— we’ll call you when we’re on our way home.” Hoseok hung up, looking at the pair through the rearview mirror. He smiled, catching Wonho’s fond smile as he watched the baby drink from him. “That was Jin-hyung— he’s our clan leader,” Hoseok explained, watching Changkyun’s eyes widen as he released Wonho’s wrist. 

“Was he calling you back home? I’m sorry— you can just let me out here. I can walk the rest of the way back.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Wonho scoffed, bringing his wrist back up to the younger’s mouth, silently encouraging him to drink more. 

Hoseok laughed, “Yeah, Jin-hyung told me under no uncertain circumstances that we were not to leave you until you and your pack were safe and secure.” He grinned, tapping lightly on the steering wheel to the beat of the song playing lowly through the speaker. “Hyung is a mother hen like that.”

Wonho giggled, nodding his head in agreement. “Don’t let hyung hear you say that Hobi-ya,” he replied, smiling widely as he did. “He’ll take away your smoochin’ rights.”

The redhead laughed loudly, “Hyung couldn’t stay away from these lips if he tried. All I’d have to do is start crying and he would fold like a house of cards.” He made eye contact with Changkyun in the rearview mirror grinning widely. “Hyung is secretly a softie for his clanmates,” he whispered conspiratorially. 

The wolf’s phone rang, making the two jump as Wonho pulled out his phone and answered it. 

“Hyung?” He asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. 

“ _ Tell Hoseok-ya that I heard him and he is banned from the main bed tonight.” _ A smooth, teasing voice scolded through the speaker causing Wonho to burst into exuberant giggles. “ _ Also,” _ he continued, raising the volume of his voice so that Changkyun could hear him more easily. “ _ Hello, little one. Please call me hyung— the boys will give you my number before you all part tonight. I am absolutely horrified about what happened to you— please consider me your adoptive sire from now on, okay?” _

Changkyun’s eyes widened, nodding his head as he stared at the phone still pressed to the wolf’s ear. “Ah— he—hello, uh, Jin-hyung. Um— thank— thank you.”

Wonho smiled, reaching up to ruffle the younger’s hair fondly. “Jin-hyung is ancient— you should call him abeoji.”

“ _ Yah! _ ” The younger vampire giggled, pressing his face against Wonho’s chest. “ _ Don’t make me come over there, Wonho-ah! This abeoji can still kick your ass. _ ”

“Ah— sorry, hyungie!” Wonho sang, smiling fondly. “Gotta go— love you— bye!!” He ended the call, shoving the phone back in his pocket as he ran his hand up and down the younger’s back. 

“So,” Hoseok interrupted, slowing down the car, “What exactly am I looking for, Changkyun-ah?”

Changkyun’s brows furrowed as he paused to think. “I think Gyeomie said that it looks like an empty field? That and you forget about it as soon as you look away.”

Wonho snorted, “That’s convenient.”

“Well, I can see it, hyung,” Changkyun replied, folding his arms across his chest as he pouted.

The two older men giggled, Wonho pressing his face into Changkyun’s neck. “It’s very clever, kiddo. You should be proud of your packmate.”

“How close are we?” Hoseok asked.

Changkyun looked around at the neighborhood. “Ah— turn left up here, hyung. It should be three blocks up on your right.”

Hoseok smiled at the younger through the rearview mirror before turning. “I’m going to stop at this convenience store up here, okay pup? You said your packmate was sick?” 

He nodded his head, frowning slightly as he watched Hoseok park. “Ah— That’s not really necessary, hyung. I can just go out again after it gets dark, Gyeomie— Gyeomie should be okay until then.”

Wonho frowned, twisting Changkyun in his lap so that he could look the younger in the eyes. “You risked your life to go out and get medicine, Changkyun-ah. Why are you downplaying this situation?”

Changkyun looked down in embarrassment, picking at the dirt under his nails as he mumbled, “I... don’t have any money for medicine.”

“Then how were you going to— ...Oh,” the wolf murmured in understanding, rubbing up and down the younger’s back soothingly. “It’s okay, kiddo. Hyungs will take care of it— just tell us what you need.”

“I’m— Gyeom-ah has magic sickness,” he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut so that he wouldn’t have to look at either of his hyung’s horrified faces.

Hoseok turned around fully in his seat, staring wide-eyed at the younger. “Magic sickness? Changkyun-ah— are you sure? Magic sickness is incredibly rare in young witches.”

He bit his lip, sucking in a deep breath as he breathed out, “Yugyeom doesn’t have a coven to balance his magic, hyungs. He— he just has me and Kookie.”

The witch hummed sadly, reaching out to squeeze the younger’s shoulder reassuringly. “Let’s get him some stabilizers then, huh?” He pulled Changkyun’s hood back up over the vampire’s head, pushing Chankgyun’s face gently into Wonho’s chest. “Keep your head down until I close the door again, pup. I’ll knock on the door before I open it when I get back.”

Changkyun tucked his head in close, breathing in the wolf’s warm cinnamon roll scent as he did so. Once the door slammed shut, he carefully sat up, giving Wonho a weary glance before turning to watch Hoseok walk into the convenience store through the tinted windows. 

“This— this place you live,” Wonho started, still rubbing soothing circles on the younger’s back. “It’s— you have an actual  _ home _ — right? Like— you’re not living in like a concealed alley or something, right?”

The younger bit is lip, closing his eyes as he nodded hesitantly. “We’re not living in an alley, hyung.”

“But it’s not a house— is it?”

Changkyun sighed, letting his head drop on to the other’s shoulder. “No— it’s not a house.”

Just then there was a knock on the car, signaling Wonho to wrap in arm’s around Changkyun to prevent any sunlight from touching the younger as Hoseok opened the door and slipped in. “Alright,” he sang, starting up the car again. “I got the stabilizers and some cup noodles for your packmates.” He threw a teasing smile back at the vampire before pulling back into traffic. “You can have some of me if you’re still thirsty.”

The youngest looked out the window, for once very thankful of his vampirism so that neither of the hyungs would know how embarrassed he was through his blush, though he was sure they could still figure it out from his obvious body language. 

“Is this the field, Changkyun-ah?” Hoseok asked, slowing down the vehicle. 

“Yeah,” the vampire assured, sitting up in anticipation as the church came into view, looming over them. The cracked bell tower cast a dark shadow over them, leading towards the front door. Changkyun reached for the door only for Wonho to pull him back with a startled yelp. 

“What are you doing, Changkyun-ah?” He exclaimed, wrapping his arms tightly around the younger one to prevent him from making a break for it again. 

“Uh— going inside?”

“Kkukkungie— sweetie— the sun will fillet you in seconds— you can’t go out there.”

Changkyun cocked his head in confusion before the realization dawned on him and he burst into cute little giggles. “I’m sorry, hyungs— I forgot you couldn’t see. The path to the door is in the shadows— there’s a big tower blocking the sun— as long as I move quickly, I’ll be fine.” He reached for the door handle again, patting Wonho’s hand reassuringly. 

Hoseok carefully stepped out, grabbing the bag from the convenience store before closing the door behind him and turning to face Changkyun’s door. The younger took a deep breath before pushing open the door and hopping out, lacing his fingers with each of his hyung’s hands as he led them up to the front door.

Once they neared the steps, he heard the two gasp in unison as the glamour melted away, leaving behind a decrepit church. The old door creaked ominously as the vampire pushed it open. 

“Jungkookie?” He called, stepping inside. “Gyeomie?”

There was a heavy crash, frantic footsteps stampeding towards him as Jungkook ran at full speed towards him from the transept. 

“Hyung!” He cried, sweeping the smaller man up into a fierce hug, burying his face in Changkyun’s neck as tears escaped his eyes unabashedly. “Hyungie, what happened? We thought— we thought you were—” he cut off, biting back his choked words as he gasped in the elder’s scent. “Don’t— don’t ever scare us like that again, hyung.” 

Changkyun cooed, wrapping his arms around the larger man as he rubbed his hand up and down Jungkook’s back. “Hyung’s sorry, Jungkookie. I’m okay— I would never leave you two. I promise.” He pressed a kiss to Jungkook’s cheek, pulling back slightly to wipe away the younger’s tears. “There now— everything is okay, pup. Hyung is here.” He cupped either side of the wolf’s face, pulling it down to press a firm kiss to the center of his forehead before pulling back completely. The vampire turned slightly, gesturing to the two still standing at the entrance to the nave who were watching on in obvious adoration. “This is Hoseok-hyung and Wonho-hyung— they saved me this morning.” 

Jungkook took a step towards the newcomers, eyeing them up intensely before bending into a deep bow. “Thank you for helping my hyung, sirs.”

The elder wolf squealed, jumping forward to pull Jungkook back into an upright position before bringing the younger wolf into his arms for a tight hug. “Aish, Changkyun-ah,” he scolded, rocking the now-very confused Jungkook in his arms like an over-excited two year-old. “You didn’t say that your Jungkookie was such a cute little puppy!” Wonho cooed, smiling widely at the younger wolf who turned to stare wide-eyed at his hyung. 

Hoseok snorted, pulling Wonho away from Jungkook with a small apologetic bow. “I’m sorry, Jungkook-ah. Please forgive him— it’s been a while since he last saw a wolf pup.” He rolled his eyes, reaching up to lovingly pet his clanmate’s hair. “I’m sure you know how alphas are— always wanting to smother babies.” 

Jungkook slowly nodded in bewilderment, reaching up to rub at his scarred-over pack mark. “Ah— sure. Uh— overly affectionate alphas,” he mumbled, moving back to wrap his arms around Changkyun again. “Totally a thing.”

“How’s Gyeomie?” Changkyun asked, moving up the nave towards the crossing where he saw a Yugyeom-shaped lump curled up in the vampire’s sleeping bag.

“Not good,” Jugnkook whispered, turning somber as he crouched down by the younger boy’s head. “I’m not sure what to do— he’s never been this sick before.”

Changkyun kneeled down, pulling the blanket back slightly to take in the witch’s ashen complexion. The boy was out cold, the commotion not even stirring him as he slept on, taking in shallow, stuttered breaths as sweat trickled down his face in rivulets. He brought his hand up to gently brush back the younger’s sweaty bangs, leaning down to whisper, “Hi, baby. Hyung’s home and he brought medicine. Don’t worry, Gyeom-ah— you’ll be better in no time.” 

Hoseok kneeled down next to him, pulling out the stabilizers and tipping one of the strips into his palm. He pinched it between his fingers, bringing it up to his lips to gently blow on it before handing it over to Changkyun. “A bit of my magic,” he explained, smiling at the boy. “To give his immune system a boost.” 

The vampire bowed, carefully placing the strip on the younger witch’s tongue. He watched as the boy began to glow a soft pink as the stabilizers worked their way through his system, softly petting the younger boy’s hair. Yugyeom moaned, nuzzling his head into his hyung’s hand in his sleep. 

“Mhmm, hyung,” he mumbled, cracking an eye open. “You made it home before the sun?”

Changkyun chuckled, “Hyung is fine, baby. How are you feeling?”

Yugyeom shot the elder a grateful smile. “You nabbed me the good shit, didn’t you, hyung?”

“Ah— actually— my friends got you your medicine.”

“Friends?” The younger witch asked, shooting Changkyun a playful smile. “Kookie and I are your only friends, hyungie.”

The vampire smiled, gesturing towards Wonho and Hoseok hanging a few feet back behind him. “I made some new friends today, baby. This is Wonho-hyung and Hoseok-hyung.”

Yugyeom raised a heavy arm in a half-hearted wave. “Hello, hyung’s hyungs.”

Wonho shot the younger a smitten smile, squatting down so that he could smooth back the young witch’s hair. “Aish, such a cutie. We’re your hyungs too, Yugyeom-ah.” He giggled, looking over to Changkyun fondly. “Your packmates are adorable, Kkukkungie. It’s official— we’re stealing all three of you.”

Hoseok burst into a fit of giggles, moving to plop down in the group’s loose circle and pulling out the cup noodles from the bag. “I’m sure you two are hungry,” he said as he hovered his hand over the cup, steam quickly rising out of the top before handing the first one to Jungkook. Wonho and Changkyun helped pull Yugyeom up into a sitting position, the wolf happily moving to prop the younger up against his chest. The elder witch quickly heated up the other cup of noodles in his hands before handing it to Wonho who immediately started to feed Yugyeom despite his protests. 

“Ah! You’re sick. Let hyung take care of you, pup,” he chided, a bright smile on his face. 

The younger wolf was halfway through his cup of noodles before he froze, chopsticks halfway up to his mouth as he looked over at Changkyun in horror. “Hungry— hyung! You haven’t fed yet— oh my god you must be starving. I’m so sorry, hyung!”

Changkyun smiled, pushing the noodles closer to the younger’s mouth. “I’m okay, baby. Hyungs fed me on the way home.”

He swallowed, setting down his cup and leaning across the circle to sniff at the elder’s neck. “Ah— that’s what I smelled,” he murmured, smiling slightly as he sat back. “Hyung smells good on you.”

The vampire huffed, looking away as the rest of the room burst into quiet snickers. “Eat your noodles, Kookie,” he grumbled, shooting the younger a fond smile so that he knew he wasn’t actually mad at him. He reached his arm out, wrapping it around Jungkook’s shoulders as he pulled the boy to rest against his chest. Once the boy set his empty cup aside, Changkyun pressed a soft kiss to his temple, running his hand through his shaggy hair as he murmured, “Sleep pup, hyung knows how tired you are. You took such good care of Gyeomie— let hyung take care of you now, huh?”

Jungkook nodded his head tiredly, allowing his eyes to close as he relaxed his full body weight against his tiny hyung’s chest, dropping off into sleep. 

“How close were we to losing you today, hyung?” Yugyeom asked, frowning as he stared at Jungkook’s slumped frame. “Be honest.”

“Too close,” Changkyun admitted quietly, running his fingers through the wolf’s hair. “I would risk it again in a heartbeat, Yugyeom. You and Kook are too important to me.”

Yugyeom released a little high pitched whine as he slumped out of Wonho’s hold to wrap his long arms around the vampire. “You’re too important to us too, hyungie. Please don’t risk yourself for us like that again.”

Changkyun chuckled humorlessly, wrapping his free arm around Yugyeom’s shoulders as he pressed a firm kiss to the top of the younger’s head. “No promises, baby.”

The younger huffed, pressing his face harder into the vampire’s chest, pushing him into a slow fall onto the sleeping bag behind him. Yugyeom hummed happily as he settled against Changkyun’s chest, giggling as Jungkook grumbled sleepily at the change in positions. 

“Can we come back tomorrow, boys?” Hoseok asked, slowly standing up as he watched the three younger boys snuggle into their sleeping bag. 

Yugyeom spared the older witch a glance as he nodded his head. “You don’t have to, though. We appreciate you helping us but— we can’t— we can’t give you anything in return.”

Wonho frowned, crouching down so that he could brush back Yugyeom’s bangs. “We don’t want anything in return, Yugyeom-ah. We just want to make sure you three are okay, alright?” He gave the boy a soft smile, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before moving away and standing up again. “We’ll be back tomorrow morning, boys. Sleep well!”

True to their word, Hoseok and Wonho came back the following day a few hours after sunrise baring a duffel bag and a small stack of bentos. “We brought breakfast,” Hoseok sang, skipping through the nave towards the three boys sitting cross legged in the crossing on top of their sleeping bags. It was clear that Yugyeom had just woken up, still exhausted from his recent bout of sickness. He leaned heavily against Jungkook’s chest, humming contentedly as the wolf combed through his hair with his fingers. 

“Ah— you didn’t have to do that, hyungs,” Changkyun admonished softly, standing up to meet them. 

“Don’t be silly,” Wonho chided as he scooped the young vampire up into a tight hug. “Hyungs feed their dongsaengs— so eat.” He plopped down, keeping Changkyun in his lap as he reached over to gently ruffle Jungkook’s hair. 

Hoseok shook his finger at Wonho playfully as he sat down on Jungkook’s other side, pulling out the bentos and dividing them between the boys. “Don’t get any funny ideas, Wonho-ya. It’s my turn to feed the new baby— you got to feed him yesterday.”

The elder wolf rolled his eyes fondly, accepting the bento provided to him with the hand not wrapped around Changkyun’s midsection. “Oh don’t worry, Hoseokie. You made sure I wouldn’t forget.” He threw the elder witch a wink as he popped open the box, moaning happily as the box’s aroma hit his senses. “Fuck, I love hyung’s cooking.” He smiled widely at Jungkook and Yugyeom, gesturing towards their still closed boxes. “Eat, kiddos. Jin-hyung’s food is literally the best.”

“You— you didn’t have to bring us breakfast, hyungs,” Jungkook stammered, carefully popping the top of the bento off, closing his eyes as the smell of hotteok filled his nose. “Thank you.”

Hoseok smiled, reaching over to pull the wolf’s head close for a quick kiss to the temple. “No need to thank us, pup. We just want to keep you boys happy and healthy, okay?”

Yugyeom nodded excitedly, happily digging into his bento with rigor. “This is delicious,” he praised around a mouthful of pancake. 

The elder witch rolled his eyes, pulling Yugyeom’s lanky frame into his lap as he ate. He pressed a soft kiss to the younger’s shoulder, humming happily as he rubbed the boy’s indented stomach. “There’s more where that came from, sweetie— eat your fill, okay?”

The boy nodded happily, inhaling another hotteok as he leaned back into Hoseok’s chest. “Thank you, hyungs,” he mumbled, closing his eyes as he ate.

“They’re still hot,” Jungkook whispered, holding the hotteok gingerly in his hands as he stared at it in wonder. 

Wonho giggled, reaching over to pull the younger wolf into his side as he ruffled his hair again. “Kihyun is a genius at household spells. When he heard we were bringing you boys breakfast he insisted on making sure it stayed warm so you two could have a hot meal.”

Hoseok finished his own bento, setting it aside as he rubbed Yugyeom’s stomach. “Ready to switch babies so we can feed the last of the pups?”

The elder wolf grinned excitedly, standing up with Changkyun again only to set him down on Hoseok’s unoccupied thigh and picking up Yugyeom in return before sitting down again. He quickly snatched the boy’s half-eaten breakfast, pulling it closer so that the witch didn’t have to reach to get more food. He brushed back Yugyeom’s bangs as he pressed a featherlight kiss to his cheek. 

The older witch giggled happily, wrapping his arms around Changkyun’s waist in a tight hug before releasing one of his arms and bringing his wrist up to the younger’s mouth, “Drink baby.”

Changkyun shook his head, “I’m okay, hyung. You don’t need to feed me.”

“Drink,” he huffed, pressing his wrist closer. “You’re newly turned— you need blood near-constantly.”

Jungkook’s brows furrowed, leaning forward. “Really? Have we— have we been starving you, hyung?” He asked, voice cracking.

“No!” Changkyun cried, leaping forward to pull the young wolf into his arms. “You two take such good care of me. I’m completely fine, pup— I promise.” He turned to Hoseok, frowning as he brushed back Jungkook’s hair. “I’m fine, hyung.”

Hoseok sighed, scooting forward so that he could rub Jungkook’s back along with Changkyun. “I didn’t mean to imply you and Yugyeom-ah were hurting Changkyun-ah, Jungkookie. It’s very taboo to abandon your newborn in the vampire world. Typically, a newborn is brought home to be cared for by a whole clan. A new vampire  _ does _ need near-constant blood, Changkyun-ah.” He brought his other hand forward to gently rub at the young vampire’s shoulder. “Your throat isn’t supposed to constantly burn. The first few years for a new vampire are always the most difficult. Your hunger abates a bit around the five year mark. The fact that you and Yugyeom were able to keep Changkyun from going into a rage by yourselves is an incredible feat by itself.”

Wonho nodded his head in agreement. “Trying to feed a newborn by yourself is nearly impossible and incredibly taxing,” he added, playing with Yugyeom’s hair. “Hyungs are so incredibly proud of you, pups.”

“Let us help you,” Hoseok pleaded, pressing a series of quick kisses to each boy’s head in his arms. 

Jungkook hesitantly nodded, “He’ll still smell like us?”

“Yes,” Hoseok assured, smiling softly. “Kyunnie will always smell like you— you two were his firsts. Each person after that will have a smaller, less noticeable impact on his scent. Kyun-ah will always be yours first. We just want to help keep you all healthy.”

Hesitantly, the younger wolf nodded his head, bringing another hotteok to his mouth as he made eye contact with Changkyun. “Eat, hyung,” he encouraged.

Hoseok pulled Changkyun back into his lap fully, bringing his wrist up to the younger’s mouth again as he pressed his lips encouragingly to the younger’s neck. He carefully pierced the witch’s skin, swallowing a moan at the first flash of freshly brewed coffee on his tongue. Changkyun closed his eyes, slumping back against Hoseok’s chest, vaguely aware of the world around him as he took slow, lazy swallows. 

“What’s in the bag, hyung?” Yugyeom asked between bites, gesturing towards the duffle the elders had abandoned on the edge of their nest of blankets. Wonho smiled, petting the boy’s hair as he set down his bento. The elder wolf leaned forward, pulling the strap closer to him before unzipping the main compartment and pulling out a mound of fabric before handing it to Jungkook to inspect. 

It was a coat— a top of the line, insulated winter coat. Jungkook’s eyes widened as he held it up, choking on his saliva. “Hyung— why—”

“It’s December, Jungkook-ah. Hyungs want to make sure you three are warm,” Wonho explained, rubbing the lanky witch’s arm soothingly as he pulled out another just as kitted out jacket and handing it to Yugyeom. “There’s one for Kyun-ah too,” he added, smiling fondly at the two’s baffled expressions as he combed back Yugyeom’s hair. 

“Thank you, hyungs,” the young witch whispered, stroking the fabric reverently. 

Hoseok smiled, petting Changkyun’s hair as he gestured to the coats, “Jinyoung and I laced them with heating charms too— you three will be nice and toasty in them.”

Changkyun released the elder’s wrist, giving the wound a lick to seal it. “Thank you, hyungs.”

He felt a sloppy press of lips against his temple as Hoseok giggled against his skin. “Hyungs are just happy to take care of you.” 

He turned in the witch’s lap, giving the man a calculative look. “But why? I’m— I’m not saying we’re not eternally grateful— because we are— but you don’t know us. You don't owe us anything or— can gain anything from us. So— why are you helping us?”

Wonho whined unhappily, burying his face in Yugyeom’s neck as Hoseok rubbed Changkyun’s stomach, shifting the boy to one side in order to pull Jungkook onto his other thigh and wrapping his arm around his stomach as well. 

“We don’t want anything from you, Kkukkung,” Hoseok whispered, his words vibrating against the back of Changkyun’s skull. “The three of you are such sweet kids. And— I don’t know what happened to you all but none of you deserve to be barely surviving in an abandoned church with just a make-shift pack.”

Jungkook bristled, pulling away. “We do just fine, Hoseok-hyung. We don’t— we don’t need your pity.”

“This isn’t pity,” Wonho stated firmly. “We know what it’s like to be in your position, kid. We’ve all been there at one point or another. I saw myself in your eyes, Jungkook— when you jumped up to meet us yesterday. You’re brave and loyal to your pack— you protect them with everything you have. I can see how much you love them and I just want to make sure you never have to lose them.”

The younger wolf teared up, biting his lip as he looked down at the ground. “I— I do love them,” he admitted quietly, allowing a few tears to escape. “I don’t want anything to happen to them. They’re— they’re everything to me.”

“Oh Kookie,” Yugyeom cooed, pulling himself out of Wonho’s lap to wrap the younger wolf up into his arms. “We love you too, puppy.” He pressed a series of soft kisses to the other’s cheek, opening his arms to engulf Changkyun into the hug as well when the boy scooted forwards out of Hoseok’s lap. 

“You and Gyeom-ah are everything I could have asked for,” Changkyun murmured, pressing close to Jungkook’s back. “You’re the perfect pack— my sweet wolf.”

Jungkook whined, burying his face further into Yugyeom’s chest. “Love you, hyungie.”

Hoseok and Wonho came back the next day. And the next. And the next. Before the three knew it, they were practically waiting at the door like eager puppies for their two hyungs to come see them again. Hoseok had taken to sitting with Yugyeom after breakfast, stretching the capabilities of his magic and teaching him how to effectively harness it without over exerting himself. The younger witch was practically glowing in the following weeks, happily trailing after Hoseok like a little duckling. He inhaled any and all information the elder gave him, excitedly showing him the sphere of light he created and contained the night before and was still glowing strong. 

The wolves also excitedly got along like a house on fire. Wonho immediately wrapped Jungkook up in his arms every morning, allowing the younger some much needed scenting from an alpha he didn’t know he needed to calm his inner wolf. Jungkook enjoyed the other’s playful, exuberant nature; watching the other flit around from one boy to another, telling stories about their pack that had them all in stitches. 

The boys went to bed each night with full bellies and warm hearts after the hyungs left for the day. Changkyun watched the stars through the hole in the roof above the apse, one arm around each of his dongsaengs, and thought life couldn’t get much better. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness. You guys fill my heart with joy! I'm so excited that you are all loving reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this! I am blown away by your lovely comments and kudos. Thank you all so much for reading and I'll see you all on Tuesday with chapter three!


	3. The Infirmity of a Solitary Witch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The babies run into some trouble and finally ask for some help.

“When are you going to let us meet the new babies?”

Hoseok sighed, taking a large sip of his coffee as he watched Jin and Hyunwoo cook dinner from where he was leaning up against the far cupboards. “They’re skittish, hyung,” he replied tiredly, watching Hyunwoo’s careful hands turn the meat on the cooktop. “They really like your cooking though. Jungkook literally moans every time he eats your samgyeopsal.”

Seokjin scoffed, “Of course he does— my samgyeopsal is the best.”

The witch rolled his eyes looking over to Hyunwoo who was still grilling the meat with a soft smile creeping across his face. “Jin-ah has a point,” the wolf added, pointing his tongs to the younger playfully. “It’s been nearly three months since you met those kids and we have yet to see so much as a picture of them.” He reached over, gently cupping Hoseok’s face. “And besides, just feeding a newborn by yourselves is exhausting— don’t think we haven’t seen your under-eye circles.”

“He already feels more guilt about feeding from us than he has any right to— the kid was downplaying his thirst to the other babies since he met them because he didn’t want to be a burden. I can’t imagine more people offering themselves to him will make him feel any better about it.”

Seokjin sighed, stepping forward to pull the younger witch to his chest, pressing a soft kiss to his lips as he pulled away from the hug. “Let us  _ try _ . Hoseokie— the baby needs another vampire around to grow properly and a wolf without a pack will turn feral. And you  _ know _ what happens to solitary witches.” He brushed back the younger’s hair. “Let us come with you. I’m not saying I’m planning on dragging them home with us today— I know they’re scared. But you know me— hyung wants to make sure the new babies are safe, yeah?” He pressed a kiss to Hoseok’s forehead before moving back towards the counter where he had been cutting vegetables. “Humor this old man, huh? Let hyungs see for ourselves that the kids are okay.”

Hoseok sighed, closing his eyes as he took another sip of coffee. “Alright, hyung. Just— don’t come on too strong? I don’t want to lose them because they got spooked.”

Jin smiled at the younger placatingly. “I’ll be on my best behavior, my love.”

The closer they got to the church, the deeper Jin’s frown got. “Not a word, hyung,” Hoseok warned as they pulled up next to the curb. 

“This area—  _ this _ is where my babies are living? It’s a horrible neighborhood.” He huffed, glaring out the window. “Where is their home by the way?”

Wonho smirked, gesturing to the field to their right. “We’re here.”

Seokjin’s eyes widened as he gasped, “They live  _ outside _ ? That’s it! I don’t care how skittish they are— they’re coming home with us this instant.”

“It’s a glamour, hyungie,” Hoseok giggled, stepping out of the car. “We told you this.” He reached his hand out for Shownu who took it gratefully as they made their way up to the front steps, Wonho and Jin a few paces behind. 

The pack alpha hummed thoughtfully next to Hoseok as the church finally shimmered into view. “This place has seen better days,” he remarked, placing his hand on the worn wood of the front door. 

He nodded in agreement, knocking on the door three times before opening it and stepping inside. The others followed, Jin and Shownu looking around speculatively.

“Puppies!” Wonho called skipping into the nave. 

There was a squeal before a lanky blur of arms and legs collided with Wonho’s wide chest, making the elder chuckle. “Good morning, Gyeomie,” he greeted, pressing a kiss to the boy’s cheek. 

“You’re later than usual— Kookie was worried you weren’t coming.”

“I was not!” Jungkook called, running forward to join their hug, sticking his tongue out at the witch in the process. “Gyeomie was the one who was worried.”

The two pulled away, engaging in a fierce glare-off until another voice broke their concentration. “Enough, boys,” Changkyun called, making his way through the pews to meet the rest of the pack. “It appears hyungs brought guests— so behave.”

Jungkook’s head snapped towards the newcomers, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

“Hello, my name is Kim Seokjin. I am Hoseok and Wonho’s clan head. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Changkyun bowed, elbowing the other two to do the same when they didn’t immediately react. “It’s very nice to meet you Seokjin-ssi— the hyungs have told us a lot about you.”

Seokjin smiled widely, releasing a soft, squeaking laugh as he reached forward to pull the boy out of his bow. “That’s hyung to you, Changkyun-ah.” He dragged his hand up to the younger’s cheek, stroking it softly with his thumb as his expression softened. “Aish, such a sweet boy,” he stepped forward further, wrapping Changkyun into a hug. He hummed, dragging his cheek across the top of the other’s head happily. While still holding the young vampire in his arms, he lifted his eyes to meet the other two babies as well. “You two can call me hyung as well,” he sang, eye-smiling at them as they watched their hyung get completely swaddled by the elder vampire. 

It was silent for a moment before Shownu stepped forward, bowing to the younger boys as he gave them a soft smile. “My name is Shownu. I am the pack alpha of our clan.”

Hoseok stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Yugyeom’s shoulders as Jungkook took a hesitant step towards the alpha. “Jungkook. Beta. This— this is my pack,” he stuttered, trying to stand tall in front of the imposing alpha. 

Shownu grinned, stepping forward to cup the back of Jungkook’s neck. “You have a lovely pack, Jungkook-ah,” he murmured, pressing his nose into the other’s neck, scenting him.

Jungkook’s eyes fluttered closed, body swaying as he fell under the alpha’s grip. Shownu wrapped his arms around the younger boy, smiling against his skin as he whispered, “Such a good boy.” Wonho stepped up behind the young wolf, wrapping his arms around the boy as he growled comfortingly in his ear.

“Good pup,” he murmured, shooting Shownu a knowing look over the younger's head. 

Yugyeom turned to look at Hoseok in question. 

“Jungkookie’s been without an alpha for some time, Gyeom-ah,” he explained quietly, rubbing his thumbs in little circles on the younger witch’s hips. “He needs an alpha’s attention to soothe his wolf.” 

The younger nodded his head in understanding, turning to face the wolves again as Jungkook sagged into Shownu’s hold completely, only being held up by the two older wolves’ arms. 

“Isn’t Wonho-hyung an alpha?” Changkyun asked, still swathed in Seokjin’s arms.

“He is,” Seokjin explained. “However he’s not a pack alpha so while he can soothe Jugnkook’s wolf he can’t fully placate it like a pack alpha can.”

Yugyeom frowned, “Even though Shownu-hyung isn’t his pack alpha?”

Shownu pulled away from Jungkook’s neck while still keeping a tight hold on the younger. “His wolf feels comfortable with Wonho-ah and since we share the same pack scent, he instinctively trusts my wolf as well.” He combed his fingers through the boy’s hair, humming thoughtfully as he pulled Jungkook to sit down on his lap in a nearby pew. “Good pup,” he murmured as Jungkook tucked his nose into the hollow of the alpha’s throat.

The clan head picked up Changkyun, chuckling at his startled yelp, before moving to sit down on their pile of sleeping bags, made softer by the many blankets and pillows Hoseok and Wonho had gifted to the boys over the last few months. He kept Changkyun in his lap, using one of his fangs to pierce his wrist before pressing it to the younger’s mouth, making him jump. “Drink,” he commanded, tone leaving no room for argument. “Fledglings need near constant nourishment—it’s no wonder you’re so malnourished.” He tutted, pressing further until Changkyun latched on, moaning softly at the taste of the elder’s blood. “All three of you,” he continued. “You’re all skin and bones— even with my dinners I’ve been sending with my boys.”

Yugyeom shifted uncomfortably, gingerly sitting down on the other side of the makeshift bed with Hoseok quickly following to bracket him with his thighs. “We managed just fine on our own, Jin-hyung,” he reasoned. “And we’ll manage just fine when you get sick of us— we don’t need your charity.”

Hoseok gripped him tighter, pulling him back against his chest as he released a whine from deep in his throat. “This isn’t charity, Yugyeom. Charity was bringing Changkyun back so that he didn’t burn in the sun. We kept coming back because we  _ like _ you. We— we want to get to know you all better. And to take care of you— we aren’t— we won’t ‘get sick’ of you. You three are special to us.”

“It’s like puzzle pieces we didn’t know we were missing until we met you and saw where you fit into the holes,” Shownu added quietly, still stroking a blissed out Jungkook’s hair. 

Changkyun pulled away from the clanhead’s arm to give the rest of the room an inquisitive look. “So what does that mean?” He asked, licking his lips to clean them of blood as Jin wrapped his arms around him possessively. 

The elder vampire chuckled, “It means that we’re going to keep you safe and healthy because you’re a part of us.” He paused, watching the boys in front of him fondly. “It also means that hyungs aren’t going to be happy until you’re under our roof sleeping in actual beds and eating three meals a day.” He brushed his fingers through Changkyun’s hair before pressing a soft kiss to the top of his head. 

Hoseok released a world-weary sigh, dropping his forehead onto Yugyeom’s shoulder. “Hyung,” he whined. “You promised.”

Jin rolled his eyes. “You couldn’t have honestly believed that I’d see their living conditions and not immediately demand they move in.”

“Move in?” Jungkook startled, pulling away from Shownu as he stared wide-eyed at the clanhead. “You— what? What’s wrong with this place?”

“Well for starters, you’re ‘home’ is missing half the roof,” he argued, pointing towards the large, caved in portion behind the apse. 

Yugyeom bristled, pulling away from Hoseok to cross his arms. “I sealed that. It’s perfectly safe.”

Jin sighed, “I’m not downplaying your magical skill, Yugyeom-ah— you are a very talented witch. It’s the principle of the matter. A home shouldn’t be in shambles, pup. You deserve  _ beds _ and warm meals that haven’t been kept heated by magic and you deserve to be safe and loved and have constant access to cuddles and an  _ education _ if you wanted it. You can’t get those things here.” He pulled Yugyeom across the makeshift bed and into his arms, dragging a cool finger up and down the side of the younger's neck. “My sweet baby,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Let hyungs bring you home, huh? Let hyungs keep you safe?”

The witch froze in his hold for a moment before melting completely, sinking into the vampire’s side. He closed his eyes as he turned his face to bury it in the elder’s neck. “Can we think about it?” He mumbled against cool skin. 

“Of course, my precious,” he whispered. “You take all the time you need. Hyungs aren’t leaving you.”

Seokjin and Shownu made it a habit to join Hoseok and Wonho when they visited the babies every morning. They entered the church three weeks after meeting, Hoseok pressed tightly against Shownu’s side to hide from the chilling March winds. 

“Babies!” Jin sang, gliding through the nave towards the pile of boys buried under their blankets. “What are you all still doing sleeping?”

“It’s cold in here, hyung,” Hoseok whispered, reaching towards the vampire to grab his sleeve. 

“Babies?” Shownu called, stepping closer to the boys, footsteps getting quicker the closer he neared. He dropped to his knees, pulling Yugyeom’s limp form up into his arms. “He’s freezing,” he exclaimed, fully pulling the boy from the nest and into his lap, folding him close to his body. 

“What happened?” Wonho demanded, running to pull Jungkook to his body. He gasped as he was met with cold skin. 

Hoseok reached forward, hand hovering over Yugyeom’s chest as his eyes glazed over. 

A sniffle sounded, causing Jin to jerk forward out of his shocked stupor to pull Changkyun into his arms. “I— I can’t get them to wake up. Hyung— hyung please— I— they’re not waking up,” Changkyun sobbed, wrapping himself around the elder vampire desperately. “Please help them. I— I don’t know— know what happened.” His words slurred out of his mouth as if he had little control of his tongue as he spoke.

“Magical exhaustion,” Hoseok stated, pulling Yugyeom into his arms as his hands started to glow white. “It— it happens to solitary witches that exert too much of their power at once. My best guess is that he tried to combat the cold front last night. He would have pulled from Kyun and Kook-ah.”

Jin pressed a kiss to Changkyun’s sniveling face, allowing the younger to bury his nose in his neck. “It’s okay, baby,” he murmured, rocking the younger in his lap as he watched Hoseok work. Wonho was pressing frantic kisses to Jungkook’s face, practically shaking as he held the younger. “Hyungs will take care of you— you’ll all be okay. Don’t worry, precious.” 

Changkyun sniffed, sobs slowing as he held onto the vampire. 

“He’s probably starving, hyung,” Hoseok called, not breaking line of sight with Yugyeom. 

“I’m on it,” the elder replied, bringing his wrist up to his mouth to nick it with a fang before bringing it to the younger’s lips. “Drink, sweetheart. Do it for hyung, huh?”

Slowly, Changkyun began to drink, still sniffling through his straggling tears as he clutched Jin’s arm like a lifeline. 

“Hyung?” Jungkook slurred, slowly sitting up in Wonho’s arms. Changkyun ripped himself away from Jin, flinging himself desperately on his dongsaeng, openly sobbing and he clutched the confused wolf. “Kyunnie-hyung? What— what’s wrong? What happened?”

He clutched at the young wolf frantically, reaching up to cup his cheeks as he dropped his head to Jungkook’s chest. “Pup,” he whimpered, tears renewing as they welled up in his eyes again. 

“Angel,” Jin whispered, placing a gentle hand on Changkyun’s back to encourage him to pull away. “Kook-ah needs to eat— and so do you, baby. You two need to gain back your strength before you pass out again.”

“I called Jinyoung,” Hoseok stated, pulling away from Yugyeom before reaching for Jungkook. “I need him to help me heal Gyeom-ah. I’ve got him in a stasis for now so he won’t get any worse but he needs a recharge and I can’t do that alone.” He pulled Jungkook from Changkyun’s arms gently, nudging the near-hysterical vampire towards his clanhead. “Keep drinking, sweetheart. You need to recharge too. Let hyungs take care of you, okay?”

Jin pulled the younger back into his arms, bringing his sluggishly bleeding wrist back up to Changkyun’s lips. The vampire tried to pull away, releasing a distressed whine as he tried to reach for Yugyeom. “Gyeom-ah is fine, precious,” Jin murmured, smoothing back his hair as he brought the younger’s head back to his wrist. “Eat, baby. Let hyungs take care of everything.”

He held the baby close as he drank, quietly humming an undecipherable lullaby as Hoseok began scanning Jungkook. 

“What happened?” A new voice broke in, the door to the church flying open as a black haired man practically flew in. He quickly made his way to the crossing, dropping down on his knees harshly next to Shownu. 

“Gyeomie has magical exhaustion. He drained himself and the other two,” Hoseok replied, pulling away from a wobbly Jungkook who immediately collapsed back into Wonho’s chest again. “We need to recharge Yugyeom so he can heal his core.”

The man nodded, pointing towards the boy in Shownu’s arms. “This him?”

Hoseok moved towards Yugyeom, bracing the younger’s thighs with his palms. “Yeah— take his top half?”

He nodded, motioning for Shownu to let go of the younger, lying him flat on the sleeping bag before bracketing his upper body. The two witches began to glow a bright white as they transferred some of their circle energy to the young boy between them. 

Changkyun pulled away from Jin’s wrist again an alarmed yelp, jerking forward to grab at his youngest. “Shh,” Jin hushed, pulling him back to his chest again. “Yugyeom is okay. Hoseok and Jinyoung are just recharging his core. I know it looks scary but it’s completely harmless.” He pressed a gentle kiss to Changkyun’s neck, humming softly. “You’re being so good for me, precious. Just relax, hyung’s got you.” Changkyun closed his eyes, taking a deep shuddering breath as he leaned back into Seokjin’s chest again.

“Hyung,” he whispered, lips barely brushing against the older’s collarbone as he spoke. “Is— is it still— you said— can we go home?”

“Home?” Jin whispered back, unbelieving of what the younger vampire just asked. 

“Yeah,” Changkyun nodded, looking over to Yugyeom and Jungkook in worry. “Yeah. I— I need help— keeping them safe.”

Jin smiled, pressing a soft kiss to Changkyun’s cheek. “Of course, my love,” he murmured, tucking the boy closer to his chest. “Let’s get you three home.”

The clanhouse was bigger than Changkyun expected. It sprawled across a large expanse of land in a valley between two hills, filled with wide, open windows that the vampire eyed wearily from inside the car. Wonho pulled into an underground parking garage, pulling into a spot near the door. Shownu parked next to them, getting out of the car quickly to pull a still-sleepy Jungkook from the backseat and firmly wedging him under his arm as he helped the younger to the entrance. Hoseok opened the door to the backseat, carefully pulling Yugyeom from where he had been resting in Changkyun’s lap into his arms. 

“Come on, sweetheart,” Wonho murmured, reaching in once Hoseok had moved out of the way to grab for Changkyun’s hand. “Let’s go inside and get you three settled.”

The younger took his hand gratefully, standing up on jelly legs. Wonho wrapped one of his strong arms around his waist, pulling the vampire in close as they made their way towards the door. “All of the windows have UV protection, Kkukkungie,” he explained as they entered the home, climbing up the stairs to a mudroom with a dorky little sign hanging on the wall reminding them to wipe their paws. “You can enjoy the sun from anywhere inside of this house and be perfectly safe.”

Changkyun hummed, eyes fluttering closed in exhaustion as he gripped the elder’s shirt. He tried to keep his eyes open, following his dongsaengs' forms as the other hyungs carried them up a set of stairs. A whine escaped him as Wonho led him down another hallway away from his boys. 

“It’s okay, Kkukkungie,” he murmured, picking the younger up so that he was holding onto him like a koala. “Hyungs are just putting them to bed. We’ll put you to bed with them after you’ve eaten— you must be starving again by now.” He brought his hand up to run through the younger’s hair as he sat down on a long L-shaped couch. 

“Promise?” Changkyun whispered, eyes closing again as he dropped his head down onto Wonho’s shoulder.

“I promise, baby. Hyung will tuck you in himself.” Wonho turned the tired boy to sit sideways on his lap, bringing his wrist up to the younger’s mouth. “Now— drink for hyung.”

Changkyun bit down, too tired to feel any sort of guilt. His eyes closed completely as his head dropped to Wonho’s chest, still sucking lazily. 

“Is that one of the new babies?” A voice asked in a hushed whisper. 

Wonho hummed, “Yeah. This is Changkyun, Heoney.”

“What happened?” He asked curiously, moving to sit at Wonho’s side to better see the young vampire. 

“Magical exhaustion. The poor kid accidentally leeched off of Kook and Kyun. He’s gonna have a massive amount of guilt when he wakes up.”

Jooheon scooted closer leaning into Changkyun’s space, making him crack open a sleepy eye in question. “Can I feed him next?” He asked, wiggling excitedly. “He’s so tiny and soft, hyung— I want to wrap him up!”

Wonho rolled his eyes, reaching out with his free hand to ruffle the omega’s hair. “If he wants to— but give the poor boy time to adjust. He’s had a very stressful day.”

The younger wolf nodded his head in understanding, smiling brightly as he leaned in to press a quick, featherlight kiss to Changkyun’s forehead before sitting back and facing the television. 

Sooner than the wolf would have liked, Changkyun released Wonho’s wrist and turned to bury his face into the other’s neck. “Sleep now— want Koo ‘n Gyeom,” he mumbled into the wolf’s skin.

“Okay, Kkukkungie,” Wonho whispered, wrapping his arms around the younger as he stood up. “Say good night to Jooheon.”

Changkyun tiredly flapped a hand in the general direction of the couch releasing a half-formed, “Night, Joo,” from his mouth before tucking his head further into Wonho’s neck. He heard a coo from the couch as he rounded the corner towards the staircase. 

The bedroom they had set up for Jungkook was cracked open so Wonho quietly tiptoed in, nodding to Seokjin who was sitting in a chair by the bed watching as the two younger boys slept soundly. 

“He fed?” 

“Mhmm,” Wonho nodded, carefully placing Changkyun down on the bed. The younger vampire immediately rolled to wrap his arms around Yugyeom’s lanky frame, snuffling quietly into the boy’s neck. “Met Jooheon too— kind of. Not sure how much he’ll remember of that interaction when he wakes up.”

Jin chuckled, reaching forward to pull Wonho’s larger frame into his lap as he pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, pup. You’ve done such a good job taking care of the babies. Hyung is proud of you.”

Wonho released a high pitched whine, folding himself down into Seokjin’s chest as he nuzzled his clanhead’s scent gland. “Hyung,” he whined, rubbing his canines across the elder’s skin affectionately. 

“Mark-ah and Shownu are waiting for you in the den, angel,” Seokjin murmured, carding his fingers through the wolf’s hair. “Let your hyungs take care of you, huh?”

He nodded slowly, still mouthing at the elder’s neck. “Hobi?”

“Hobi is with the coven, sweetheart,” he reassured. “And hyung will stay with the new babies so they don’t wake up alone. Go— Everything will be fine.”

Jin nudged the younger into standing. Before he reached the door, Wonho turned around and crept back to the bed, dropping soft kisses to all three of their babies’ heads before actually leaving. Seokjin released a breathy chuckle, sitting back in the chair to watch over his newest nestlings. 

Waking up felt like wading through molasses. Yugyeom felt the softness of the bed underneath him, the warmth of the blanket on top of him, the smell of fresh linen and something flowery— lilac, perhaps? On his right was a line of heat, Jungkook’s soft vanilla scent wrapped around him like a warm hug. On his right was undeniably Changkyun’s sugar sweet coffee and chai scent, his cool body pressed up tightly against his back. While his two hyungs were familiar and welcoming, the rest of his surroundings were not. His eyes snapped open, taking in the soft gray of the walls and modern bedroom furniture with rapt attention. 

“You’re okay, little one,” a voice cooed, making Yugyeom flinch before the voice registered in his brain and his shoulders slumped in relief. “That’s it, treasure. It’s just hyung,” Seokjin murmured, getting up from his chair and making his way around to the other side of the bed so that the younger witch could see him. “How are you feeling?” He asked, reaching over Jungkook to push the boy’s bangs back.

He closed his eyes at the elder’s touch, taking stock of his body. “Mhmm— sore? Hyung— what happened? Where are we?”

Jin smiled softly, leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead before moving to sit on the side of the bed, arm propped between his and Jungkook’s bodies. “You’re in my clan’s home, angel. You experienced a severe case of magical exhaustion but we caught it in time and you’ll be perfectly healthy by the next new moon.”

Yugyeom’s eyes widened, shifting to sit up before Changkyun released a high pitched whine, tightening his hold on the younger. “I— I didn’t hurt them did I?”

“Just made them sleepy,” he lied, smiling reassuringly to the younger boy in front of him. “That’s why they’re resting too. I promise, baby— all three of you are just fine.”

He nodded his head slowly, looking between his two pack-hyungs in worry. “I— but that doesn’t explain why we’re  _ here _ , hyung.”

“Changkyun-ah asked us to bring you all here,” Jin stated. “He’s quite protective of the two of you. But he also knows when to ask for help— your sickness really scared him. We’re more than happy to welcome you three into our home.”

Yugyeom frowned, looking between a still sleeping Changkyun and Jungkook. “We— we can’t keep going on our own, can we?” He asked forlornly.

Seokjin sighed sadly, stroking the younger’s cheek fondly. “No, baby. You can’t. But you aren’t on your own anymore. You have us— this clan. We are so fond of all of you and we so desperately want you with us.”

“You all barely know us— most of your clan hasn’t even met us yet! How can you be so certain?” Yugyeom asked desperately.

“I’ve been around for over a millennia,” Jin started. “With every new addition to the clan, my magic connected to them instinctively before I even knew their names. The same can be said for you, angel. The second I smelled the three of you on Hoseok and Wonho I knew that you belonged with me— us.”

The witch cocked his head as he looked at Jin in confusion. “Magic?”

Jin nodded, smiling down at the younger as he brushed his thumb fondly over Yugyeom’s lips. “I’m a witch— in a sense. I created a spell eons ago. Idiotically, I tampered in magic I shouldn’t have and created a spell that turned me into what I am today. I was the first vampire.”

Yugyeom frowned, “So— if you were the first, that means you turned other vampires?”

“Every vampire I turned is in this clan.” He sighed heavily, looking away in shame as he explained, “I wasn’t in the right frame of mind after the change. And in my absence my old coven stole my research. They turned others— many against their will. Minhyuk was one of them.”

Yugyeom looked at the clanhead in awe. “You  _ created  _ vampires with your magic? Wow, hyung! You are so cool.”

Jin released a soft, squeaky laugh, leaning forward to press his lips to the younger’s forehead. “I don't’ know if ‘cool’ is the right word but I appreciate the compliment none-the-less.” He stood up, reaching down to gently push Yugyeom’s shoulders back down onto the bed. “Now, Yugyeom-ah, you’re still exhausted. I’d like for you to rest longer, alright?” Yugyeom nodded begrudgingly, pouting up at his smiling hyung. “Good boy.” The vampire leaned down, pressing another soft kiss to the younger boy’s cheek before stepping back. “Hyung will let you sleep, now. Please rest well.” 

Yugyeom nodded, smiling up at Seokjin. He murmured a quiet, “Thank you, Jin-hyung,” before closing his eyes again, listening to Jin’s near-silent footsteps as he left the room. 

Yugyeom was still tightly holding Jungkook, drifting somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, when the elder of the two woke up. 

“Gyeom?” He croaked, voice rough with sleep. “Where are we?”

“Jin-hyung’s home,” the witch whispered tiredly in reply. “I had— I over exhausted my magic, Kookie. I— I think I hurt you and— and Kyunnie-hyung. I’m so— sorry.”

Jungkook quickly wrapped his arms around the younger, pulling Yugyeom close to his chest as he broke down into quiet sobs. “It’s okay, Gyeomie,” he murmured, petting the back of Yugyeom’s head. “Hyung and I are fine. You didn’t hurt us. You’re okay, Gyeom.”

There was a snuffling behind them as Changkyun groggily pulled himself up from the pillows to wrap his arms around their youngest from his back. “We’re fine, baby,” he reassured, pressing a little kiss to Yugyeom’s neck as he caught the wolf’s eye over the other’s shoulder. “You did nothing wrong and hyung isn’t upset with you— not in the slightest.”

Yugyeom bit his lip as more tears fell from his eyes. “You should be. I— I could have  _ killed _ you.”

Changkyun sighed, pulling himself up into a sitting position and waiting for the others to do the same before speaking. “You could have— it’s true. It— it was a pretty close one. But it’s not your fault! You’re a solitary witch that was trying to keep our whole pack warm in the middle of winter. You did the best you could and hyung is proud of you— always proud.” He pulled the other into his arms again, allowing the younger to press his face into the crook of his neck. “I— we need help,” he admitted into the witch’s hair, closing his eyes so that he couldn’t make eye contact with Jungkook frowning in front of him. “I asked Jin hyung to take us home with him. They— they’ve proven that they can take care of us and— and I can’t keep you two safe on my own.”

“We take care of each other, hyung,” Jungkook retorted, crossing his arms across his chest defensively. 

“We do,” he acknowledged. “But— we need our own kind, too. You  _ know _ that, Kook. A wolf needs other wolves— especially if they’re not an alpha. And a witch can’t function in a pack without other witches to share their magic with.” He paused, taking a deep shuddering breath before continuing. “And— and I need a sire.”

The wolf whimpered quietly, scooting across the pillows to wrap his arms around the other two. “Do— do you think we can trust them?” 

Yugyeom pulled back to look the other two in their eyes. “I think they’re our best bet. They wouldn’t have put so much time and effort into us just to hurt us, right? We— we aren’t anything special.”

Changkyun nodded sagely. “I think they’ll take good care of us. And if worse comes to worst, we’ll all run away together in the middle of the night— start over in Daegu or something.”

The three broke down into giggles, clinging to each other as they collapsed back down onto the overstuffed pillows. They were interrupted by a chipper knock on the door as Hoseok popped his head in, smiling widely when he saw all three of the boys awake. “Good morning, angels,” he sang, skipping over to plop down on the bed next to them, wrapping his arms around Jungkook’s waist. He leaned over to press a quick kiss to Yugyeom and Changkyun’s cheeks before tickling Jungkook’s side playfully. “Would you all like to join us for breakfast? The rest of the clan is dying to meet you. If you aren’t ready though, don’t feel like you have to. I can bring your breakfast up here and we can have a floor picnic— just the four of us.”

The boys deliberated, silently conversing with their eyes before Jungkook nodded his head to Hoseok. “We’ll come down and eat with you all. We want to meet your clan too.”

Hoseok gave the others a small, fond smile, ruffling Jungkook’s hair as he stood up. “Let’s go then, huh? I’m sure you’re all starving. Dress code is pajamas only!”

Yugyeom giggled, shakily getting up from the bed as he accepted the hand Hoseok offered to him. The four of them made their way downstairs, past the grand living room Changkyun vaguely recognized from the night prior, and into a large, warmly lit dining room. The table was long and low, cushions lining the floor around it that were filled with people. The low chatter flowing around the room came to a screeching halt as the four boys entered. 

“Babies,” Jin called, standing up with his arms stretched wide open for them in greeting. The three fell, almost in unison, into his arms happily. Seokjin hummed, stroking Changkyun’s hair fondly before stepping back to face the room. “My sweet angels,” he called, addressing his clan. “These are our babies: Jungkook, Yugyeom, and Changkyun.”

There were small bows and excited smiles aimed at the newcomers who quickly bowed back deeply. The wolf next to Wonho squealed in excitement, making grabby hands at the boys. “Aish! They’re so cute!” He turned to the omega wolf on his other side, “Bambam-ah— aren’t they just the cutest?”

Bambam smiled widely, nodding frantically as he smiled at the newcomers. “They look younger than me too, hyung! I’m not the maknae anymore!”

A short vampire on the other side of the wolf rolled his eyes fondly, ruffling his hair fondly as he shot him a gummy smile, “You’ll always be one of the maknaes, Bammie.”

There was a chorus of giggles that made their way around the table at the wolf’s expense who just graciously rolled his eyes and accepted the teasing. Jin gently pushed the boys over to an empty area of the table between where he and Shownu were sitting.

Shownu smiled widely at the boys, reaching down to pull Jungkook down under his arm as he nuzzled behind the younger’s ear. Changkyun sat down next to the wolf, Jin dragging Yugyeom down on the other side of him so that he could have the two boys on either side of him. The wolf sitting on Yugyeom’s other side smiled brightly at him, sticking his hand out in greeting. 

“I’m Jaebum— alpha.”

Yugyeom took his hand hesitantly, smiling at the wolf. “It’s nice to meet you, Jaebum-ssi.”

Jaebum rolled his eyes. “We’re all your hyungs here. None of this formal crap, yeah?”

The witch nodded his head, his smile stretching wide across his face. “Okay, hyung.”

The wolf smiled fondly, clucking the younger under his chin before dishing him up a plate. Yugyeom hummed happily as the food was set in front of him, bowing to the older in thanks. The table slowly began to hum with conversations again as everyone fell back into what they were doing before the youngest three arrived. 

Shownu kept his arm around Jungkook’s shoulders as he plated food for himself and the younger, introducing the boy to a small witch named Kihyun sitting on the other side of him. 

From the other side of the table, the wolf that had squealed when they had walked in jumped excitedly in his seat. “Do you remember me, Changkyun-ah?” He asked, leaning forward across the table. “It’s okay if you don’t— you were pretty out of it last night.”

Changkyun furrowed his brows as he tried to think back to last night. “You— you wanted to— feed me?”

The wolf nodded frantically, shooting the younger a wide encouraging smile. “I’m Jooheon— but you can call me hyung.” His whole body vibrated in his seat as he spoke, almost as if he was gearing up to pounce at Changkyun from across the table. “I would be honored if you let me feed you next.”

“And what if I wanted to feed the baby next?” Another omega wolf asked from a few seats down, butting into their conversation playfully as he smiled at the wolf. “I’m your hyung, so rightfully, you should let me feed him first.”

Jooheon whined, his lips dropping into a pout as he shot the other a betrayed look. “You wouldn’t, Mark-hyung. You— have you smelled him? Just a little bit of my scent and he would smell like the world’s best coffee shop! You  _ have _ to let me feed him next!”

Wonho cleared his throat, reaching up to scruff Jooheon by the back of the neck lightly, immediately making the younger boy calm down. “And what did I tell you last night?”

“That it’s Kyunnie’s choice whether he feeds from me or not— not mine,” Jooheon entoned sullenly, looking down at the table as tears threatened the corners of his eyes. 

Changkyun watched on, biting his lip anxiously as Jooheon became more visibly upset. “I— I uh... I don’t mind drinking— um— feeding from you, hyung,” he whispered, fingernails digging into his palms as he spoke. 

Jooheon’s head shot up, eyes shining in excitement as he stared down the young vampire. “Really?” He asked, “You mean it? Because— it’s okay if you really don’t want to drink from me. I know you barely know me.”

The younger shrugged, shooting Jooheon a tentative playful smile, “I didn’t know any of the hyungs at all when I drank from them. And you’re right, I do kind of smell like a coffee shop right now.”

The young wolf giggled happily, wiggling in his seat under Wonho’s firm hand. “Eat your dinner first,” Wonho commanded, his smile undermining his serious tone. At Jooheon’s pout he added, “You can’t feed him if you’re not well fed first.” Jooheon sighed sadly, nodding his head in acquiescence as he took a big bite of food. 

He wagged his chop sticks threateningly at Changkyun as he swallowed his food, “After dinner, you are going to be mine.” 

Wonho rolled his eyes, shooting the younger wolf a fond smile. “I hope you’re ready to be cuddled to death, Kkukkungie. Jooheon gets clingy when he feeds our vampires— he loves being able to smell himself on his clanmates.” He threw the vampire a wink. “And good choice to drink from Heoney next— a dash of hot chocolate will really pull your scent together.”

Changkyun looked down, thankful for the lack of blood that otherwise would have flooded to his cheeks. He leaned further into Jin’s side who smiled back fondly, wrapping his arm around his waist and squeezing encouragingly. Yugyeom had fallen into an excited conversation with the boy on Jaebum’s other side about the practicality of using healing stones over herbs. Taehyung was shooting the younger a wide boxy smile as they spoke in between bites while Jaebum kept scooping more food onto their plates. There was a wine glass filled with dark red liquid that Seokjin sipped from languidly, there were also a few others around the table that had similar glasses who, Changkyun assumed, were older vampires as well. 

As dinner came to an end, Jooheon shot up from the table to make his way around to squeeze between Jungkook and Changkyun. Shownu chuckled, pulling Jungkook into his lap to better scent the younger’s neck while still holding his conversation with Kihyun and a vampire named Minhyuk. The omega wolf hummed happily, taking Changkyun from his clanhead and into his own lap only to press his nose to the column of the younger’s neck. “You smell fucking delicious, Changkyun-ah,” he whispered, running his nose along the other’s skin softly. “Can you smell it? Hobi-hyung’s coffee, and Wonho-hyung’s cinnamon rolls— Jin-hyung’s freshly baked cookies. Jungkook’s must be the vanilla— I can smell it on him too. Mhmm and that lovely spicy chai that must be Yugyeom’s scent. You smell absolutely delicious.” He pressed his lips to Changkyun’s skin in a smile before reaching around and lifting his wrist up to the younger’s lips. “Please let me be a part of your scent?”

Changkyun’s eyes were wide as he stared at Jooheon’s arm as if it were a rabid animal before glancing up to Seokjin for guidance. The elder smiled fondly, running his fingers through his newest baby’s hair as he nodded his head encouragingly. With a deep breath, the young vampire bit down, closing eyes as the warm liquid hit his tongue. He took long, slow pulls from the wolf, cautiously dropping back to lean heavily against the other’s chest as he drank. After a few minutes, he released Jooheon’s arm who quickly used his free limb to his advantage to further pull Changkyun against his chest, cooing happily as the younger pressed close to his neck, small hands creeping out around his midsection in a cautious hug as he was turned around to face the other. 

There was a tell-tale click of a camera shutter from across the table, Wonho’s muffled squeals an obvious indication for who was at fault. Fingers were combed through Changkyun’s hair as a body leaned over him to press a soft kiss to Jooheon’s lips. “Why don’t you take the baby to the den, Heoney— let him snuggle while we watch a movie.” 

He felt the older nod his head, chin bumping against his scalp, before the ground underneath him shifted making him yelp unhappily as he held onto the wolf tighter. Hands wrapped under his thighs, hoisting him higher as Jooheon stood up gracefully. “I’m sorry, baby,” he whispered, dropping a soft kiss to the younger’s hair. “Go back to sleep, hyung is just moving us to someplace more comfortable.”

Changkyun scrunched his nose cutely, pushing his face tighter against the other's neck. “ ‘m not ‘sleep.”

He heard Hoseok chuckle from behind them, “Of course you weren’t, angel.”

They sat down, Hoseok’s arm wrapping around Jooheon’s shoulders as he settled with Changkyun in his lap once again. Slowly, the area around him grew warmer as the clan made their way into the den from the dinner table, talking lowly among themselves even as an animated movie began playing on the screen.

Jungkook watched as Changkyun dropped off in Jooheon’s arms. He was amazed by how quickly the vampire had acclimated to the new environment and all of the people floating around enough to fall asleep. The wolf felt so wired that he was afraid he’d never be able to fall asleep again. Shownu wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him tighter into his chest from where they were sitting on another couch with a few other members of the clan. A wolf named Jackson was seated next to him, tucked underneath Namjoon’s arm. They were the only beta wolves in the pack, as Jackson explained, and they were happy to invite Jungkook into their very exclusive beta-only cuddle club. Namjoon reached around the smaller wolf to cluck Jungkook under his chin playfully. 

“You should feel honored, Jungkook-ah,” he intoned solemnly. “No one has been invited since I joined the pack.”

The youngest grinned, burying his face in Shownu’s chest who laughed deeply, rubbing his hand up and down Jungkook’s back. “It’s true, pup. Even I’m not invited— and I’m their pack alpha.”

“Yeah, hyung,” Jackson argued playfully. “You’re our  _ alpha _ . No alphas allowed— club rules.” He threaded his fingers through Jungkook’s as they all entangled themselves in each other. Hyungwon came into the room, throwing on a drama before collapsing on Jin and Yugyeom’s laps in exhaustion. 

“Are you tired, angel?” Jin asked, combing his fingers through the other vampire’s long hair. 

Hyungwon hummed, turning to bury his face in Yugyeom’s stomach and inhaling deeply. “Fuck. The babies have no right smelling this good,” he murmured, snaking his arm around Yugyeom’s stomach to keep the witch close. “You’re my new pillow, ‘Gyeom. I could  _ drown _ in your scent.”

The younger boy blushed, tilting his face up to look at the ceiling to avoid making eye contact with any of his newfound hyungs all giggling around him. On the other side of the young witch, Mark had firmly planted himself in Jaebum’s lap, humming happily as the alpha wolf rubbed little circles on his stomach. The omega was engrossed in his phone, jabbing at Jaebum’s abdomen every time he chuckled at something on the screen.

“Hush, Bummie,” he shushed, pinching the younger’s thigh as he looked up to Yugyeom. “What’s your favorite color, treasure?”

Yugyeom furrowed his brows as he cocked his head in confusion. “Me?” He asked, turning his head to fully face the older wolf. At Mark’s nod, he shrugged, “Yellow— why?”

Mark shook his head, a mischievous smile spreading across his face as he turned the screen away from the witch. “No reason, angel.” He reached over the pet Yugyeom’s hair fondly. Jaebum rolled his eyes behind his omega’s head, rubbing his nose into the other’s neck fondly. 

He glanced back down to the phone, shifting slightly. “Go with the right one— yeah, that one. I like the stripes.”

“It looks like a bumblebee,” Mark replied, giggling into his hand. “I love it.” He glanced up, making eye contact with Jungkook, whose head had fully relaxed against the alpha’s chest, eyes half closed as he watched the clan interact around him. “What about you, Kook-ah?” At the wolf’s confused head cock he elaborated, “Your favorite color, sweetheart.”

“Mhmm,” Jungkook murmured, closing his eyes. “I like black.”

“Black?” Mark asked, scandalized. “How  _ boring. _ ”

Jungkook frowned, squinting one eye open to glare at Mark. “I guess I like yellow too.”

That made Mark smile, giving the younger wolf an approving nod before going back to his phone. “Thank you, Jungkookie.” He was silent for a few minutes before turning the screen so that Jaebum could see it again. “This one, Bummie?” Jaebum hummed in approval, giving the omega a soft peck to the column of his neck. 

“It’s perfect, hyung,” he whispered, smiling into the older’s skin. He glanced over to Jungkook, his smile widening as he caught sight of the younger fully asleep in his alpha’s arms. The kid looked so tiny wrapped up in Shownu’s arms. Jackson caught Jaebum’s eye, winking exaggeratedly. 

Mark shifted in Jaebum’s lap, looking over to where Changkyun was still curled up in Jooheon’s arms. He made eye contact with the other omega, mouthing  _ Is he asleep? _

Jooheon shifted, glancing at the vampire’s face before nodding causing Mark to scrunch his face before turning back to his phone. 

“Changkyun-hyung likes white,” Yugyeom stated, tucking his head into Jin’s neck. The wolf threw him a grateful smile before turning back to his phone with renewed vigor. Yugyeom closed his eyes, fingers unconsciously threading through Hyungwon’s hair. The younger vampire hummed in his sleep, nuzzling closer into Yugyeom’s stomach. Sitting around in a warm living room, a drama playing in the background while the clan chattered quietly around him, Yugyeom thought that he could get used to this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh you guys are so wonderful! I couldn't wait to post this for you all. Reading how much you're enjoying this is truly motivating. 
> 
> Also, because I know that this is a lot of characters to keep track of here is my chart of who is vampire, wolf, and witch. :)
> 
> Vampires:  
> Jin  
> Yoongi  
> Minhyuk  
> Hyungwon  
> Jimin  
> Youngjae  
> Changkyun
> 
> Wolves:  
> Shownu  
> Wonho  
> Mark  
> Jaebum  
> Jackson  
> Namjoon  
> Jooheon  
> Bambam  
> Jungkook
> 
> Witches:  
> Kihyun  
> Hoseok  
> Jinyoung  
> Taehyung  
> Yugyeom
> 
> Hope this helps as you're reading!! I love you all!


	4. The Maknaes of the Kim Clan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The babies get to know the other maknaes a bit better and shed a bit of history on the clan.

Changkyun woke up the next morning still cocooned in Jooheon’s arms. The sun was streaming through the large bay windows to the right of him making the vampire hum happily at the feeling of having sun warmed skin once again. He allowed himself a moment to enjoy the warmth from the sun and Jooheon encompassing him from all sides before slowly sliding out of the wolf’s arms. The omega whined in his sleep before turning to wrap his arms around Hoseok’s waist instead. Changkyun smiled fondly before quietly shuffling back to the kitchen. 

Inside the kitchen, sitting at the island, was Wonho with a smaller vampire in his lap. Wonho waved with his hand not currently being drank from by his clanmate. “Good morning, baby,” he murmured, pulling out the stool next to him. As Changkyun sat down, Wonho gestured to the vampire still drinking from him. “This is Youngjae, Kkukkungie. He’s our youngest vampire next to you.” 

Youngjae pulled away from the wolf’s wrist, smiling at Changkyun as he gave the younger a shy wave. “Hi, Changkyun.”

Changkyun bowed from his seat, giving his own small wave in return as the backdoor to the kitchen opened and two more clan members walked in. 

“Good morning, Minnie, Tae,” Wonho greeted, watching as the two made their way to the fridge where the smaller of the two pulled out the necessary ingredients for a smoothie, slamming them on the counter aggressively. 

“You don’t have to do that, hyung,” the taller whined, dropping his head onto the shorter’s shoulder as he began to throw the fruit into the blender. 

“Don’t even start with me, Taehyung,” he replied grouchily. “I’m already pissed at you. Go sit next to the baby while I make you your goddamn breakfast.”

Taehyung sulkily moved to drop down on the chair next to Changkyun, letting his head thunk against the counter top as he pouted, making Wonho laugh. “What did you do to piss off your soulmate this time, Taetae?” He asked.

The vampire at the blender flipped his head around to glare at Taehyung fiercely. “This  _ idiot _ fed me before feeding himself.” He turned back around to pour the smoothie into a cup before slamming it down in front of Taehyung aggressively. “Eat.”

“I’m sorry, Jiminie,” he whined, taking a large sip to appease the boy in front of him. 

Jimin huffed, folding his arms across his chest as he glared at the witch. “You will be.” All of a sudden, as if a switch had been flipped, he stood up straight, turning to fully face Changkyun and smiling widely. “Good morning, Changkyun-ah. I’m Jimin, please call me hyung.”

“Uh— good morning, Jimin hyung,” Changkyung stuttered, feeling the whiplash of Jimin’s complete 180.

The vampire cooed, coming around the island to wrap his arms around the younger. “Oh you’re so cute.”

Jimin nuzzled into his neck, humming as he breathed in Changkyun’s scent. It wasn’t long, however, before he was interrupted by Jackson who pulled Jimin away to pick Changkyun up and set him in his own lap. “Sorry, angel,” he apologized, ruffling Jimin’s hair affectionately. “I need to feed the baby.”

Changkyun shifted uncomfortably in Jackson’s hold. “Ah— I’m okay, Jackson-hyung. You— you don’t have to feed me.”

The older vampire rolled his eyes, moving to wrap his arms around Taehyung as he watched Jackson melt into mom-mode. “You’re a baby, Changkyun-ah. You’re always hungry. Do you not want to drink from me? I can go get one of the others.”

Changkyun’s eyes widened, shaking his head frantically. “Ah— no, hyung that’s— that’s not what I meant.”

“You’re  _ not  _ hungry?” Jackson asked, alarmed. “We need to get Jin-hyung then. That’s not healthy.” He went to stand up with the younger in his arms, making Changkyun yelp and wrap his arms around the wolf’s neck.

“Hyung,” Jimin started, hiding his giggles behind his hand. “I don’t think that’s what he meant either.”

“We have to watch this one closely, Jackson-ah,” Wonho replied fondly. “He has a tendency to not want to burden his hyung’s with his needs.” He reached over to brush back Changkyun’s hair. “We’re working on it though.”

Jackson relaxed, sitting back down with the younger. “Ah, that makes sense.” He brought his wrist up to Changkyun’s mouth, humming happily as he bit down. “Good boy.”

Changkyun’s eyes involuntarily closed as his senses were flooded with the fresh scent of cucumbers and melons. He heard a chorus of coos from the hyungs around him making him very thankful once again that he could no longer blush. He tried to pull away out of embarrassment but Jackson held him to his wrist, tutting sweetly. 

“It’s alright, baby. Just ignore them— you’re being so good. Drink your fill.”

Just as he finished, Jungkook and Yugyeom walked in, blurrily rubbing their eyes until they took in the sight of their hyung. Yugyeom smiled playfully, making his way over to Changkyun to pinch his cheeks. “I will never get over how cute you look when you’re eating, hyung.”

Changkyun pulled away, glaring at his dongsaeng. “Shut the hell up, Gyeomie.”

He felt a sharp pinch on his side, making him flinch as he whipped his head around to stare at Jackson in shock. “Nice words, Kyun-ah.” He turned his mom-glare onto Yugyeom, “Don’t torment Changkyun, Gyeom-ah.”

The two looked down, chastised. 

Youngjae stood up from Wonho’s lap, reaching out his hand to Changkyun. “You want to come see my room, Changkyun?” He asked, wiggling his fingers enticingly. The younger vampire nodded, happily taking the out from the awkward tension that had begun to stifle the kitchen. “We’ll be back later, hyungs,” he called, pulling Changkyun up the stairs and towards a bedroom near the end of the first hall. 

He opened the door into a clean, sparsely decorated bedroom with a large bay window that bathed the floor in the morning sunlight. Youngjae led the other over to his bed, flopping down as he sighed happily. He turned his head to look at the other vampire. “How old were you— when you were bit?”

“Twenty-four,” Changkyun replied, relaxing into the pillows beside Youngjae. 

“Really?” He asked, his smile stretching wide across his face. “So was I.” He giggled, reaching down to lace their fingers together. “That makes us same-age friends.”

Changkyun joined him in his giggles, ducking his face into the other’s shoulder. “How long have you been twenty-four?”

Youngjae groaned, throwing Changkyun’s hand away in disgust. “Ugh. How could you Bella Swan me— you heathen.”

The younger burst into cackles as tears made their way from his eyes. “I’m sorry, Youngjae-hyung. I couldn't help myself.”

“We’re same-age friends, Changkyun,” he scolded playfully. “You don’t have to call me hyung.” He relaxed back into the pillows and took the younger’s hand again. “Jin-hyung bit me twenty years ago.” Youngjae squeezed Changkyung’s fingers tightly as he spoke. “I had met Bambam in college. We were both studying business communications and he brought me home once to work on a project and I never really left. I fell in love with everyone almost instantaneously and they fell for me just as hard. I wanted to spend forever with them. Jin-hyung and I had talked about me being turned when I got older— I wanted to get rid of this baby face, you know? But one day I just collapsed. Woke up in the hospital to a doctor telling me I had an inoperable tumor and that I’d be lucky to get three months.” He took a deep shuddering breath, moving to press his face into Changkyun’s neck to inhale his scent. “Hyung took me home that day and begged me to let him turn me. I agreed— I’ll never regret that decision. But— sometimes I wish I had had more time to be human first, you know? I— I had a list— of all the things I wanted to do before hyung turned me. You didn’t even get the chance to make a list.”

Changkyun nodded, chin bumping against the top of the other’s head. “I hate my sire for taking away my humanity— but I don’t regret the family I gained because of it.”

Youngjae hummed happily, moving back to lean against the pillows lazily. “We’re really happy we found you three, too.” He glanced over to send the younger a fond smile. “You know... I’m really glad you’re here, Kyun-ah,” he murmured, closing his eyes as he squeezed the younger’s fingers. “Because I grew out of my baby fangs ages ago but the hyungs still treat me like I need to be fed every ten minutes— don’t get me wrong, I love their attentiveness— but still, it’ll be nice to have someone else to take some of their attention off of me. Let them see that I’m not a baby anymore— that I can take care of myself and others.” He laughed, squeezing the younger’s fingers again. “Sometimes the hyungs will try to over feed me— they’re constantly worried that I’m not eating enough. So— know you can tell them no if you’re genuinely not thirsty, but I know from experience that the thirst won’t fade for the first few years no matter how much you drink.” He threw the younger a knowing look. “And you are never allowed to feel guilty about asking to eat. You have twenty very willing people in this house that are happy to feed you. I think feeding the babies is one of the hyungs’ favorite things to do— right after holding us down for a full-body cuddle and if they can do both at the same time? Oof.”

The younger burst into giggles, burying his face in Youngjae's chest. “They do like cuddling, don’t they?”

Youngjae nodded frantically, his eyes wide in mirth. “I mean— I do too but sometimes a boy just wants to play video games, you know?”

Changkyun’s head bobbed, smiling widely. “I haven’t played a video game in  _ ages _ ,” he sighed wistfully.

“Racing or shooter?”

Changkyun grinned, “Shooter.”

They were interrupted a few hours later by a knock on the door before Kihyun and Minhyuk came in. 

“Time for my babies to eat,” Minhyuk sang, coming over to plop on the bed by Youngjae’s hip. He plucked the controller from the younger vampire’s hands and pulled him into his lap, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Kihyun came over to Changkyun, the younger setting down the controller before Kihyun took it. The witch smiled softly at the baby and pulled him into his arms. “Hi, angel,” he whispered, holding his wrist in front of Changkyun’s mouth. “Can you drink for hyung, please?” 

Changkyun nodded, murmuring a small, “Thank you, hyung,” before biting down. 

“I ate this morning, Min-hyung,” Youngjae whined from next to him, trying to twist his mouth away. “I’m not thirsty— I promise.”

Minhyuk growled, wrapping his arm around the younger vampire’s waist. “Just a bite then, Jae-ah. You’re still a baby despite what you may think. There’s no reason for you to push yourself.” Youngjae sighed, biting down on the wrist pressed in front of his face reluctantly. “Good boy,” Minhyuk murmured, voice sweetening as the younger finally began drinking. 

The two older clan members shared a look over top of their charges, smiling as they relaxed against the bed with their babies in their arms. 

Yugyeom and Jungkook had been dragged from the kitchen after they had eaten by Jimin and Taehyung, the two older boys excitedly showing off the game room. The four of them played all morning until Jinyoung called them for lunch. Bambam came waltzing into the kitchen and plopped between the two youngest boys, resting an arm on the back of each of their chairs. 

“I get you two after lunch,” he declared, smirking at a now pouting Jimin and Taehyung. “Youngjae gets time with his new same-age friend, it’s only fair that I get the same treat.” He brought a hand up to play with the baby hairs on Yugyeom’s neck as he dropped the other to the plate in front of him, practically inhaling his food. 

Once the three had finished eating, Bambam led them upstairs, passing a very satisfied looking Minhyuk and Kihyun on their way. They filed into a cluttered but tidy bedroom where Bambam sat in the middle of the bed and patted either side of him for the two boys to join him. He wrapped his arms around the two boys again, pulling them back and to his chest as he leaned against the headboard. 

“How old were you when your wolf decided you were done aging, Jungkook-ah?” He asked, breaking the comfortable quiet. “I assume very early twenties— you have more of a baby face than I do.”

Jungkook shrugged, tucking his face against the older wolf’s shoulder. “I don’t know? I don’t think I’ve stopped aging yet. And if I have, it's too early to tell.” 

Bambam tensed, looking down at the other wolf in shock. “You mean to tell me you’re actually in your early twenties?”

He nodded, “I’m twenty three. So is Gyeom.”

The wolf laughed, throwing his head back as he did so. “We really are same-age friends,” he giggled out once his laughter had subsided some. “I mean— I’m far older than what I look but I stopped aging around twenty three as well. I hope you two stay this age. I’m tired of being the maknae.” He rolled his shoulders, bringing his hands up to run his fingers through both boys’ hair. “I’ve been around since the 1300’s but the clan still treats me like I’m a baby sometimes.” He sighed heavily. “I’ll never escape the coddling if I’m the only one, so please don’t age anymore, okay?”

Yugyeom giggled, squeezing Bambam’s waist as he nuzzled into the wolf’s neck. “But then you could call us ‘hyung’!”

“Nooo,” the wolf groaned, shaking his head back and forth. “Never.”

“Are you really seven hundred years old?” Jungkook asked.

Bambam nodded, “Was born in the 1250’s. Left my family pack to join Jaebum-hyung and Jackson-hyung.” He threw a conspiratorial smirk at the younger boys. “The only ones older than us are Jin-hyung, Yoongi-hyung, and Shownu, Mark, and Wonho-hyungs.” The wolf flipped on the television, turning on an american sitcom for background noise. “Don’t ask me how I survived before the internet though. I genuinely don’t have a clue.”

The other two burst into giggles, Jungkook quietly murmuring into the older’s chest, “I’ve missed the internet.”

“How long have you guys been on your own?”

“I found Kookie when we were fifteen,” Yugyeom replied, shooting the younger wolf a sad smile. “We’ve been together ever since.”

“Mhmm,” Jungkook hummed. “Saved my ass from the world’s meanest clerk.”

Bambam laughed, dragging his finger’s through the younger wolf’s hair again. “What did he do? Yell at you?”

“No— he threatened to cut my hand off.”

The older wolf growled, sitting up slightly. 

“To be fair,” Yugyeom cut in, placing a placating hand on the older’s chest. “He did catch Kookie stealing and it was Busan— that city’s not exactly known for being progressive or forgiving to strays. And I don’t think he actually would have. He looked like he might vomit just touching my puppy.”

Jungkook huffed, crossing his arms in contempt. “Rude. I wasn’t that dirty, Gyeom.”

“You hadn’t showered in two weeks when I met you,” Yugyeom deadpanned, raising an eyebrow. “I’ve eaten from dumpsters that smelled cleaner than you did.”

The wolf paused, gearing up to plead his case before dropping his shoulders and shrugging. “Yeah... So have I.”

The three burst into giggles, tangling against each other on the bed. After a few minutes, they calmed down, relaxing against one another again as they tuned into the television. 

It was silent for a while before Bambam broke the silence, murmuring, “You know you’ll never have to eat out of dumpsters again right? Or— or go for weeks without showering. Or not have a bed to sleep in.” He wrapped his arms around the younger boy’s shoulders, dropping soft kisses on the tops of each of their heads. “We’ll take care of you,” he whispered into Yugyeom’s hair. 

Jungkook hummed happily, burying his face in the omega wolf’s neck. “Mhmm,” he murmured into the elder’s skin. “Beds  _ are _ a plus.”

“And the food,” Yugyeom added. “I’ve never eaten so well.”

Bambam brushed the taller boy’s hair away from his face gently. “Surely you ate with your family coven?”

Yugyeom shook his head. “They— they were all black magic witches. It was eat or be eaten, you know? It’s how we were raised. We had to fight for everything— food, water, affection. It didn’t matter. I was never good at fighting either so more often than not I’d go hungry. It's a miracle I survived my childhood, if I'm honest.”

The elder lip leaned down to press his lips to the top of Yugyeom’s hair. “Never again. Hyungs are happy to feed you and take care of you any time you want.” He grinned into the younger’s hair, “We’ll even make you sit in our laps while you eat so we can scent you.”

The three dissolved into happy giggles, leaning against each other as they relaxed against the bed. Jungkook had no doubt of the truth in Bambam's promise and he couldn't wait to learn more about each of his new hyungs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness you guys are amazing! Honestly I have been smiling like a fool from all of your wonderful support so as a treat, I'm posting this a bit earlier than scheduled. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! <3


	5. Something Old, Something’s New, Borrowed Things, and Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The clan takes the babies shopping and feelings are had.

“The babies need their own things,” Kihyun declared over breakfast one morning a few days after the three youngest had moved in. “Not that I don’t  _ love _ Kyun-ah in my sweatshirts— please don’t stop wearing my clothes whatever you do, baby— but I’m sure they’d like some of their own things, too.”

Taehyung jumped in his seat excitedly. “Shopping? Oh! I’ll take the babies!”

“I’ll go too,” Jimin added, wrapping his arm around Jungkook’s waist as he nosed at the younger’s neck while the wolf ate. He cooed delightedly as the younger blushed in his arms.

Jin frowned, playing with Hyungwon’s baby hairs as the younger vampire sat in his lap contentedly while he drank from the clanhead. “I don’t know how I feel about the babies going shopping without supervision.”

“Yeah,” Minhyuk agreed, folding his arms from his seat across the table. “It’s too early to let them roam without an adult.”

“They wouldn’t be alone. Tae and I are coming with,” Jimin argued, folding his arms across his chest petulantly. “We can take care of the babies!”

Minhyuk hummed thoughtfully, reaching across the table to brush the younger’s bangs back with his fingers. “That isn’t exactly a compelling argument, angel. You and Tae are babies too.”

Jimin rolled his eyes, “We’re three hundred years old, hyung. I don’t think we classify as babies anymore.”

Changkyun raised his hand hesitantly from where he was sitting in a very satisfied Namjoon’s lap. “Ah— we’re all adults? And Gyeom, Kook, and I have been taking care of ourselves our whole lives. We don't exactly need adult supervision.”

“Besides,” Yugyeom added, shifting in Jaebum’s lap. “We can just go back to the church and grab the things we already have instead. If we get that stuff, we won’t really need anything.”

Taehyung hummed unhappily, pouting at the younger. “But hyung wants to get you  _ new _ things, Yugyeom-ah.”

Yoongi came shuffling through the door into the dining room, tiredly plopping down onto the chair next to Kihyun and giving Changkyun an amused look. “You will always be a baby in Jin-hyung’s eyes, Changkyun-ah,” he murmured, nuzzling the younger witch’s throat softly. “I’m nearly as old as him but hyung still treats me like one of his babies. You have no hope kid— just accept your fate.”

The younger vampire sighed, dropping his head back to rest against Namjoon’s shoulder in resignation. 

“We’ll take the babies,” Jimin stated, folding his arms across his chest. 

“I’ll come too,” Youngjae declared, skipping into the room and dropping down on the chair next to Mark who immediately wrapped his arm around the younger’s shoulder to pull him into his chest. 

Jin released a world weary sigh as he looked up at the ceiling. “At least take one of the hyungs with you.”

Taehyung jumped in his seat excitedly, clapping his hands as he shot Jin an appreciative smile. “You’re the  _ best, _ hyung! Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”

“Don’t get bed sheets for them,” Mark stated, playing with Youngjae’s hair as he guided the younger to his pulse point to feed. “Those should be coming in the mail today.”

Jungkook shifted uncomfortably in Jimin’s lap. “You really don’t have to get us anything, hyungs. We’re really fine with what we already have.”

“Nope!” Taehyung sang, reaching over to pinch Jungkook’s cheek. “Don’t take my fun away from me, Kookie. Let me buy my babies nice things.”

Jin stood up, making his way over towards a glass cabinet on the far wall and pulling out a small wooden box. He carried it carefully over to the table, setting it down gently before taking his seat again. The elder vampire pulled out three navy blue chokers with small fire opals hanging from the fronts of them. His hand glowed a bright white-blue for a moment as he held the stones in his hands before setting two of them on the table and walking over to Jungkook still in Jimin’s lap. He brought the choker around the young wolf’s neck slowly, pressing a kiss to the boy’s cheek when he didn’t question the elder’s motives as he fastened the choker. He did the same to Yugyeom and Changkyun before putting the box back in the cabinet and pulling Hyungwon back into his lap. 

Jimin smiled, pressing a series of little kisses along the column of Jungkook’s neck as he played with the stone around the younger’s neck. 

“Collaring the babies already, hyung?” Kihyun asked mischievously. “You move fast don’t you?”

“If I recall, Ki,” Jin started, nipping at Hyungwon’s neck possessively. “You were the one to collar Jooheon before Shownu had even gotten his fangs out of him.”

Kihyun huffed, wrapping his arms around Yoongi petulantly, “Like you didn’t do the same damn thing the second Bammie brought Jae-ah home.”

“Um,” Changkyun muttered, reaching up to finger his choker. “What exactly  _ did _ you just do?”

Yugyeom hummed thoughtfully as he played with his choker. “These are opals. They’re used in tracking spells, right hyung?” He asked, as he turned to look at Jin. 

The clanhead nodded his head, smiling fondly at the younger witch. “That’s right, angel. Can you feel what else is in them?”

The boy was silent for a moment, his irises whiting out as he focused. “Protection charms— lots of protection charms... is that— did you put an anti-tampering charm on these?”

Jin smiled widely, reaching over to fluff the younger’s hair in praise. “You’re such a talented young witch, Gyeom. Good job.”

“Hyung,” Yugyeom started, frowning as he looked at the other warily. “Why did you make it so we couldn’t remove them?”

Jungkook and Changkyun both sat up straight, pulling away from the hyungs. The youngest vampire immediately brought his hands up to the choker, trying to unclasp it only to find his fingers kept falling over it like water. He looked up at the elder in alarm, pulling on his collar frantically until Namjoon reached up to wrap his fingers around the younger’s wrists.

“Relax, little one,” he cooed, bringing the younger’s wrists down to rest in his lap as he pressed a soft kiss to the younger’s cheek. “We can take them off as soon as you guys get back from your shopping trip. It has nothing to do with keeping you from taking it off.” The wolf swallowed thickly, taking a shaky breath against the younger’s skin. “It’s the only spell that over rules a thrall order. We very nearly lost Jimin because Jin hadn’t thought that the tracker on him needed to be reinforced with an anti-tamper.” He ran his nose up the column of Changkyun’s neck, feeling the younger relax slightly. “We all have the same charm, sweetheart. Only Jin-hyung can remove them.” He let go of one of his hands to show the younger a similar looking bracelet around his left wrist.

“And I will,” Jin added, his face serious as he watched the youngers’ expressions carefully. “The second you ask me to, I will take them off. It’s a peace of mind thing. I don’t want to control you but I need to know you’re safe when I’m not directly in front of you to protect you myself.”

Jungkook sighed, finally relaxing back into Jimin’s arms again. “Some warning would have been nice, hyung. We— we’re putting a lot of blind trust in you all here.”

Jin nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry for breaking that trust, my babies. I will do better in the future to ask first. Do you need me to take them off?”

The three thought for a moment, silently conversing with each other before Changkyun shook his head. “No, we’re okay with them on for now, hyung. Just— please check with us in the future first?”

“Of course, treasure.”

Two hours later found the boys in the backseat of a very nice SUV with Youngjae and Bambam begrudgingly on their way to the mall. Jimin and Taehyung were in the front seats, singing along to a girl group playing on the radio, and they could see Wonho and Jaebum following behind them in a sleek black Mercedes. The hyungs all agreed to let the maknae line have this bonding adventure with limited supervision. Wonho and Jaebum agreed to wait in the atrium of the mall so that they were close but not hovering while the kids went shopping.

Youngjae grabbed Yugyeom and Bambam’s hands, dragging the two towards a shop with loud, bass-heavy music pumping out of it as soon as they met up at the entrance. 

“Keep your phone on!” Wonho called as they ran off. He sighed, looking at the remaining four maknaes in resignation. “This is why you kids have trackers. Always running off on me.” He grumbled, wrapping his arm around Jungkook for a quick hug before pushing him gently into Taehyung’s eagerly waiting body. “Go have fun, kids. Don’t worry about getting phones for them. Hoseok and Yoongi are taking care of that this afternoon. Just focus on essentials and wants.”

Jimin shot the wolf a blinding smile as he wrapped his arm around Changkyun’s waist. “We’ll be good, hyungs. You have fun!” He called as he pulled the younger boys out of the atrium and deeper into the mall. 

It didn’t take long for Taehyung to drag Jungkook away from the other two and towards a Gucci boutique with an excited, “My Kookie will look so good in Gucci.”

The older vampire rolled his eyes fondly as he pulled Changkyun to a much more reasonable looking store. He smiled serenely at the younger as he kept Changkyun’s hand securely in his as they made their way around the shop. “I know you’re uncomfortable with all of this but we have more than enough money to take care of you three so there’s no reason for you to keep wearing the rags you came home in when we can get you new clothes with no problem.” He shot the younger a smile as he held up a fuzzy oversized white sweatshirt to Changkyun’s chest. “You’re getting this.” He grabbed another one in pink, throwing it in their basket as well. “We can match.” 

Changkyun shot the elder vampire an overly fond smile as he followed behind Jimin as he led him through the store. The boy was a professional shopper, stopping at seemingly random intervals to pull something off the rack, hold it up to Changkyun, and then either shake his head in disgust before returning the item or gently dropping it in their pile. As the basket filled, Changkyun began eyeing it more and more wearily. “I— really don’t need this much, hyung.” He hedged. 

“Don’t be silly, Kyun-ah,” Jimin sang, leaning up to press a soft kiss to the younger’s cheek. “You deserve nice things. Let hyung treat you.”

The boy sighed, reluctantly indulgent, smiling as he continued to follow Jimin through the store. As they were nearly finished with the third store, Changkyun saw something that made him pause. 

“What are you looking at, baby?” Jimin asked, coming up behind the younger to wrap his arms around his waist affectionately. “Do you want those boots?”

Changkyun shook his head as he stared at them. “They look like something Jungkookie would kill for, though.”

Jimin smiled into the younger vampire’s neck. “Let’s get them then. I bet Kookie will give us kisses for such a nice present.”

He hummed happily, turning to press his face in the older’s chest. “Thank you, hyungie.”

They put the Chukkas in their basket before making their way up to the register. Changkyun had learned after the first store to not look at the total price so he turned away, looking out the front door to watch passersby outside the shop. A few minutes later, Jimin skipped up to his side, wrapping his arm around the younger as he led him to a bench nearby. They sat down as Jimin set their bags under the bench. 

He pulled Changkyun’s head down to rest against his neck, pulling the boy’s hood up to block his face from the public. “Time to eat, angel,” he murmured, pulling his shirt down slightly to give Changkyun a better angle. 

Changkyun whined, nuzzling Jimin’s throat affectionately. “Can’t we wait until we go home? What if someone sees?”

Jimin pressed a soft kiss to the other’s head, shushing him as he said, “No one will see, baby. And no, you can’t wait. Hyung would kill me if I let you go that long without eating.” He smiled goodnaturedly, “Come on, don’t you want to feed from me? You’ve been here almost a week and you haven’t drank from me yet. I’m starting to think you don’t like strawberries.”

“I love strawberries,” Changkyun muttered, pressing close as he carefully bit down near the elder’s collarbone.

The older vampire hummed happily, tucking Changkyun’s face closer to his chest as he made sure the younger’s actions were completely hidden by his hoodie. “Such a good boy, Kkukkungie.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, Jimin texted an update to Wonho and Jaebum with an attached selfie of the baby sucking on his neck to which he received a long string of heart emojis in response. 

Once Changkyun had drunk his fill, he carefully licked the wound closed, making sure all traces of the elder’s blood was cleaned from his skin before pulling back. Jimin giggled, reaching over to swipe a stray drop the younger missed from the corner of his mouth. “Such a messy baby,” he cooed, squeezing Changkyun’s cheeks. 

“Hyung,” Changkyun started hesitantly. “Why do you only taste like Taehyung-hyung? Aren’t— have you only ever drank from him?”

Jimin sighed, pulling Changkyun close to his chest again as he played with the younger’s hair. “No, I’ve drank from everyone in the clan. But Taetae was my first. We— we’re a lot alike— you and I. When Tae found me I had been nearly drunk dry and left for the sun by my sire.” Changkyun released a tiny ‘oh,’ pressing a soft kiss to the elder’s neck in encouragement. “It was just Tae and I for the longest time. He fed me and kept me safe in this little cottage he had built in the middle of the mountains. I was almost 40 when we finally ventured back into town and by then I guess I had grown out of my nestling phase so my scent was locked in to just Taehyung’s.”

“Wow,” Changkyun whispered, pressing a kiss to the base of Jimin’s throat. “I’m sorry, hyung. I’m glad you had Tae-hyung.”

“Me too, Kyunnie. Me too.”

“How—” Changkyun started, biting his lip. “I mean— how did you cope? You know... with your sire just— just fucking off?”

Jimin combed his fingers through the other’s hair. “It wasn’t easy. A vampire— we need sires. It’s like written into our DNA or whatever. Without them our growth is stunted. It’s part of the reason the hyungs refuse to see me as an adult. Physically, I’m stuck somewhere between fledgling and adult because I didn’t have a sire until I was nearly a hundred.”

“What does that mean? Stuck between?”

“I never grew a sun tolerance,” Jimin started, laughing humorlessly. “I should have built up some immunity by now but you and I are at the same risk of being burned by the sun. At the same time, my bloodlust has grown with me, thankfully. I’m only slightly behind my age range in tolerance in that respect. Jin-hyung suspects that I’ll never develop a thrall either— which is fine by me I have zero desire to thrall anyone ever.”

Changkyun’s brows furrowed, looking up at the other in confusion. “What is thrall anyways? I’ve heard you guys mention it a few times but I don’t know that term.”

“Thrall is kind of like mind control. It’s how sires used to control their fledglings in ancient times. It’s also used by less civilized vampires to steal away humans to drink from. It puts the victim of thrall into a hypnosis. Your brain gets all fuzzy and you just— do whatever you’re told. Minhyuk-hyung once thralled me by accident. It was the weirdest experience of my life and he cried for days after.”

“What did he make you do?”

“It was when we met the wolf pack for the first time. None of us had ever interacted with wolves before so they were unknown threats, you know? But Taehyung found Bambam tied to a stake in the center of this little village we were passing through. The townspeople had caught him on the full moon and were planning on burning him for witchcraft. Taetae released his magic in a fit of rage— nearly wiped the town flat. He freed Bam and the hyungs could smell his pack coming too fast for us to run so Minhyuk told me to go hide but I refused because I wasn’t about to leave Taetae, you know? He got this really, like, panicked look in his eye and his voice changed when he told me to hide again. My brain went numb and I ran and hid in one of the remaining houses. They found me hours later because the thrall hadn’t worn off and I couldn’t come out from my hiding spot. It took Jin-hyung another two hours to help Min-hyung undo the thrall and release me.”

The younger vampire hummed thoughtfully. “Why couldn’t Jin-hyung just, like, override Minhyuk-hyung’s thrall with his own?”

Jimin pet Changkyun’s cheeks, leaning down to press a soft, affectionate kiss to his nose. “A thrall can only be removed by the vampire that did it or by death. Obviously, there was no way hyung was going to kill one of his own so he had to teach Min-hyung how to reverse it himself.”

Changkyun reached up to play with the choker around his neck. “And this— this prevents me from getting thralled?”

“Nothing can prevent you from getting thralled. But it prevents you from removing it while under thrall. That way hyungs can come swooping in to save you like comic book superheroes and kill the motherfucker who thinks they could ever take what is ours.”

The younger giggles, pressing his face back into Jimin’s neck. “That sounds nice.”

“What does? Being under thrall?” Jimin asked aghast.

“Being yours.”

They were silent for a few minutes, Jimin humming thoughtfully as he played with Changkyun’s hair before the sound of hurried footsteps rushed towards them. Changkyun pulled up just in time to see a wide-eyed Wonho dart over to them from the staircase. “There you are,” Wonho panted, wrapping his long arms around both of the boys. “You weren’t answering your phone, Jimin-ah.”

Jimin shifted, pulling his phone out of his pocket. His eyes grew impossibly large when he saw the seven missed calls on his lock screen. “What? I— oh. I’m so sorry hyung. I accidentally turned it on silent when I put it in my pocket. I swear I wasn’t trying to worry you.”

Wonho sighed tiredly, pressing a soft kiss to the older vampire’s temple before pulling them both into standing positions. “Time to go home, babies. The sun is almost up,” He murmured, bending down to grab their bags. “Everyone else is waiting in the atrium.”

The second Changkyun was in sight, Yugyeom and Jungkook bodily collided with him, knocking him to the floor.

“Hyung,” Yugyeom cried, pressing his nose into the elder’s neck. “You’re okay.”

Changkyun glared up at Wonho who offered a hand to the younger guiltily. “I’m fine, babies,” Changkyun murmured, slowly standing up with the two boys still attached to him. “The hyungs just overreacted. I promise, I’m okay.”

Jungkook sniffled into his hair, running his nose affectionately across the shell of the elder’s ear.

Jaebum came up to their sides, running his hand through Changkyun’s hair in greeting before pulling the younger’s hood up. “Sun’s coming up. We need to go before you boys get caught in it.”

Changkyun nodded, steering the boys in his arms towards the exit. He spotted Jimin and Youngjae receiving the same treatment from Wonho as he fretted, making sure they were completely covered from any possible early morning sunlight. 

The group made their way out to the cars, the hyungs ushering the vampires into the cars quickly before getting the others situated as well. Changkyun had a packmate on either side of him, Youngjae opting to join the hyungs in the Mercedes while Taehyung and Jimin drove the SUV home. The youngest vampire pet Jungkook’s hair soothingly while Yugyeom clung to his other arm tightly. 

“I’m honestly okay, guys,” he murmured quietly in the hopes of not drawing attention to themselves from Jimin and Taehyung in the front seats. 

“You're not allowed to scare us, hyung,” Jungkook muttered petulantly into Changkyun’s skin. “You promised you wouldn’t leave us.”

“And I didn’t,” Changkyun replied in confusion. “Where is this coming from, Kook-ah? You were fine when we left this morning?”

Jungkook nodded into the elder’s neck morosely. “I don’t know, hyung. I just— I don’t like not knowing where you are. It was scary— when Jaebum-hyung and Wonho-hyung couldn’t get a hold of you and Jimin-hyung. I thought— I thought I lost you. I—  _ feel _ like I’m losing you.”

Changkyun sucked in a breath, wrapping his arm securely around Jungkook’s back to tuck him against his chest firmly. “You will  _ never _ lose me, Jungkook. You, me, and Gyeom against the world, yeah? I will always choose you and Yugyeom over any of our new hyungs. I’m sorry I ever made you think that was even a possibility.” He paused, leaning down to press a kiss to each of their heads. He took a deep, shuddering breath, quietly asking, “Do we need to leave?” He ignored the way Jimin and Taehyung stiffened at his question, focusing on the boys next to him. “We can pack up and leave. Find a new city. Just the three of us. If that’s what you want, I’ll do it in an instant. Whatever you need.” 

The wolf sniffled, wrapping his arms around Changkyun tightly while Yugyeom tiredly shook his head against his shoulder. “No, hyung,” Jungkook replied. “I like it here— with them. I just— I can’t lose you. I know you’d never leave us but I need— I— I don’t know what I need.”

Changkyun rubbed the other’s neck soothingly. “Do you need to mark me, baby?”

All the occupants in the car froze at the vampire’s words before Jungkook slowly nodded. “If— if that’s okay with, hyung. I’d—  _ really _ like to claim you.”

Yugyeom pulled away slightly to pull the neck of his t-shirt down some. “We’ll match, hyungie,” he whispered excitedly. “We can both be Jungkookie’s.”

Changkyun smiled, pressing a kiss to the witch’s cheek before turning to Jungkook. “When we get home, yeah? The three of us’ll go up to your room and spend some much overdue time together.”

The wolf hummed happily, going silent for the rest of the drive home as he nuzzled into his hyung’s neck. 

Changkyun kept his promise. They excused themselves from the rest of the hyungs quickly, making their way up the stairs undisturbed. The vampire assumed that Jimin and Taehyung played a large part in that. 

Jungkook dropped heavily onto his bed, immediately opening his arms to the other two who were quick to join him. The wolf took his time scenting each of them thoroughly, before cocking his head to the side for Changkyun. “Please feed from me, hyung?” He asked quietly. “You haven’t fed from me since we were in the church.” 

The vampire hummed sadly in apology before sinking his fangs delicately into his dongsaeng’s neck. It was quiet for a few minutes while Changkyun drank. Yugyeom took that time to wrap his long arms around the two of them to bring them both against his chest in a big cuddle. 

Once Changkyun had drunk his fill, he pulled back, eyeing Jungkook inquisitively. “How are you feeling, Kook?”

Jungkook smiled, “Better. Like it when you smell like me the most.” 

That made Changkyun laugh, pressing his face into the younger’s neck again. “I’m sorry I scared you today,” he murmured, turning the mood serious again. 

“Thank you, hyung. I’m sorry I overreacted.”

Changkyun shook his head, pulling back to shoot Jungkook an intense stare. “You don’t need to apologize for your reaction, Jungkook-ah. I know why you felt that way and I should have known you would have reacted like that.” 

Jungkook nuzzled his cheek in thanks before examining Changkyun closely. “Can I really claim you, hyung?” 

“I’ve honestly been waiting for you to ask for months now,” the elder admitted sheepishly. 

The wolf grinned widely, repositioning the three of them so that Changkyun was in his lap and he was tucked between Yugyeom’s legs. “I didn’t think you’d want it, hyung. Conventionally, vampires don’t let themselves be claimed.”

Changkyun rolled his eyes, “What part of any of this makes you think we adhere to social conventions?”

Jungkook laughed out loud, tucking his face into the elder’s neck. “You make a good point, hyung. Can I bite you here?” He asked, pulling down the other’s shirt slightly to reveal his collarbone. “It’s where I have my mark on Gyeom.”

At Changkyun’s excited nod, Jungkook bodily picked up the smaller man and turned him around so that he was straddling the wolf’s lap. Jungkook licked at Changkyun’s skin greedily, moaning when he felt Yugyeom pressing soft kisses to the back of his neck, before pulling back to extend his canines. Without further fanfare, Jungkook sunk his teeth into the elder’s collarbone, closing his eyes at the happy little sigh Changkyun released as he sunk against the wolf bonelessly. 

Once Jungkook had finished claiming the elder, he pulled back, humming happily at the sight of his work. “You’re mine, hyung,” he whispered, leaning forward to press his lips to Changkyun’s contently. He pulled back only for his mouth to be replaced with Yugyeom’s who pressed his lips first to Changkyun’s, then turned Jungkook’s head so that he could claim his as well. 

“We’re each other’s,” the witch corrected quietly.

They fell asleep like that, tangled up in each other's arms as the sun rose above the horizon. 

Jungkook woke to the sound of a camera shutter going off. He opened his eyes blearily, eyeing Mark and Jinyoung in confusion. The two elders were standing in the doorway to his room with their hands over their mouths. Mark’s other hand was still hovering in the air, his phone’s camera pointed to the three cuddled on the bed.

“Sorry, angel,” he whispered, pocketing the phone. “You looked too cute to not capture.”

The beta rolled his eyes fondly, turning his head to nuzzle into Changkyun’s hair again. The elder wolf tiptoed into the room, Jinyoung following silently behind him. 

“Do you boys want to come down for lunch?” Jinyoung asked, sitting down gently on the bed near Yugyeom’s hip. The younger witch grumbled, brows furrowing in his sleep as he reached out blindly to pull Jinyoung down to lay against his back. “Oh?” he murmured quietly. “Are we going to cuddle first?”

Yugyeom released a soft hum of agreement, tightening his hold on Jinyoung’s wrist. “Sleep, hyung,” he grumbled, tucking his face away further into his pillow. 

Mark cooed, inviting himself to lay down on the other end of the bed so that he could bracket Changkyun on his open side. “You boys have zero right being this cute,” he whined, pressing a kiss to the vampire’s forehead before leaning over him to give Jungkook the same treatment.

Jungkook hummed happily, running his nose along Changkyun’s new claim mark.

“Ah, so that’s what you boys were doing,” Mark murmured. “Can’t say I’m surprised. Congratulations, Jungkookie.” He shot the younger wolf a mischievous look. “Can’t wait to see what you boys will look like with all of our claims on your skin too.”

The younger looked away, red bleeding up his neck in embarrassment as he played with Changkyun’s hair to distract himself. “Maybe one day, hyung,” he hedged noncommittally. 

Mark smiled fondly, closing his eyes as he buried his face into the vampire’s hair. “It’s no rush, baby. We have all the time in the world to woo the three of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! We are halfway done with lots of feels to come! Thank you all so much for reading and I'll see you all in the next chapter!!


	6. By the Full Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the first full moon living in the clan house and Jungkook's past comes to light.

Yugyeom rubbed his eyes tiredly as he shuffled down the stairs into the den. He looked around in confusion, brows furrowing as he asked, “Have you guys seen Kookie?”

Shownu sat up, looking at the younger witch in alarm. “He’s not still in bed?”

He shook his head, moving tiredly over to collapse on Hoseok. “No, I felt him get up a few hours ago. Figured he’d just come down here for hyung cuddles.”

The pack alpha shook his head, standing up. “We haven’t seen him yet this morning. I’ll look around for him.”

Yugyeom hummed worriedly, nuzzling into Hoseok’s neck to avoid looking at the rest of the room. Most of the clan was awake, collected around the room as they relaxed against each other in the early morning. He sat up suddenly, jumping out of Hoseok’s arms to make his way over to the calendar hanging up on the wall separating the den from the kitchen.

“Oh,” he murmured quietly, closing his eyes. 

“What’s wrong, treasure?” Hoseok asked, coming over to wrap his arms around the younger’s waist. 

Yugyeom hummed again, biting his lip as he turned to tuck his face into the elder’s chest. “It’s the full moon tonight.”

Hoseok nodded in confusion. “It is. Is there something wrong with that?”

“No,” Changkyun whispered, coming down the stairs slowly. “But it explains where Kookie went.” He shuffled over to the witches, his bare feet smacking quietly across the hardwood. The vampire wrapped his small arms around Yugyeom’s waist, pressing soft kisses to the back of his neck. “We should go find him before he gets himself stuck in a hole again.”

Changkyun let out a little  _ meep _ as he was picked up from behind before being tucked firmly into one of the hyung’s lap. Hyungwon’s coffee and bamboo scent invaded his nose as long arms wrapped around his waist. “Hyungs will find Kookie, baby,” the elder murmured, turning Changkyun’s head to press into his neck. “You need to eat.”

Hoseok dragged Yugyeom back over to the couch, tucking him in the space between his legs as he reached forward to grab some fruit he had been nibbling on before the youngers came down and pressed it to the witch’s lips. “So does this little one.” Yugyeom took a half-hearted bite of the fruit as he looked over Hoseok’s shoulder towards the staircase in worry.

He turned back to Changkyun who was resolutely refusing to bite down on Hyungwon. “He could be anywhere, hyung,” he fretted, pulling on his lower lip.

Hyungwon sighed heavily, giving up to just tuck Changkyun’s head against his chest. “Hyungs will find him babies. What’s the big deal anyways? Pups always go a bit feral before the full moon. They’re closer to their wolf even before the sun sets and they shift. I’m sure he just went to go run off some steam in the woods.”

Yugyeom shook his head resolutely. “You don’t get it, hyung. Jungkookie isn’t— he doesn’t  _ like _ shifting.” Everyone in the den froze, looking at the young witch in shock. “He’s— Jungkookie is—  _ small _ .”

“He was the runt,” Changkyun breathed.

The hyungs sucked in scandalized gasps around them. “Changkyun,” Mark admonished, glaring at the younger in displeasure. “I never want to hear that slur come out of your mouth again.” He sniffled, scrunching his face unpleasantly as he turned to tuck his head into Jaebum’s chest.

“What?” The younger vampire asked, sitting up in confusion. 

Yugyeom nodded his head in agreement looking around at the clan in concern. “It’s a slur?” He added, equally confused.

Jaebum nodded his head, frowning at the youngers. “You didn’t know?” At their confused headshakes, he sighed and continued. “It’s a cruel, archaic term in wolf history. Mark-hyung was the quote-unquote ‘runt’ of his original family pack. It’s not something that you use to refer to someone you love.”

“But— that’s what Jungkookie told us he was,” Changkyun murmured, looking down. “I’m sorry, hyungs. I didn’t know it was a bad word.”

Mark sighed, getting up to sit next to Hyungwon and pulled Changkyun into his arms. “It’s okay, angel. Hyung forgives you. Just please don’t use that term again alright?” Chagnkyun nodded his head in understanding, burying his face in the elder wolf’s neck. 

Yugyeom huffed angrily from his spot on Hoseok’s lap. “Just another thing that fucked up family pack of his did to him.”

“What happened to his family pack?” Jaebum asked, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees. “You boys don’t talk about your pasts much. Why isn’t Kook-ah still with them?”

“They cast him out,” Yugyeom whispered, playing with Hoseok’s fingers in his lap. “He was born the ru— the smallest. So, you know, he was always the last to be fed and he— he never got any attention or praise that his siblings got. But they were his family, so— he loved them. They’re—  _ really _ traditional though. So when he presented as a beta—” 

Mark sucked in a breath, squeezing Changkyun tightly. “They cast him out.”

“Mhmm,” the younger witch mumbled. “A wolf pack like that has no use for betas. They really did a number on him— nearly killed him. When I found him, his pack pardon was still healing. They— they stripped him of his pack bonds and then just—  _ left _ him alone in the woods to bleed out. Kookie is strong though.”

“My poor baby,” Mark fretted, turning to look at Shownu who had just entered the room with a sleepy Namjoon in tow. “Hyung,” he pleaded.

“Where does Kook-ah usually go on the full moon?” Shownu asked, moving to kneel in front of Yugyeom. 

“Usually he spends it in the church with us,” Yugyeom whispered, twisting his fingers in his lap. “We cuddle and give him lots of pets.” He paused, thinking carefully, “The first full moon after hyung joined us though, Kookie ran off to hide in the park.”

Changkyun huffed out a laugh, dropping his forehead onto Mark’s shoulder. “I remember that. Kookie was so embarrassed when I carried him home.”

Mark’s eyes widened, “He’s small enough to _ carry _ ?”

The younger boys nodded their heads in unison. “Mhmm,” Yugyeom affirmed. 

Hoseok giggled into Yugyeom’s neck. “You’d never be able to guess with how muscled he is in human form.”

“He likes small spaces when he’s a wolf,” Yugyeom stated, looking back at Shownu. “I once found him wedged in a chipmunk hole out behind the church. It took me and Kyunie-hyung over an hour to get him out.”

Shownu smiled reassuringly at the younger, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to the witch’s forehead. We’ll find Kook-ah and bring him home before you know it, Gyeom-ah. Just stay with hyungs while we do, okay?” Yugyeom nodded hesitantly, turning to press his face into Hoseok’s chest. “In the meantime,” he continued, turning to face Changkyun. “ _ Please _ eat— both of you.” Changkyun looked away, biting his lip. Shownu frowned, moving to crouch in front of the younger vampire. “I mean it, Changkyun. Eat. I know you’re worried but hyungs will take care of it. If I have to worry about you too I won’t be able to focus all my attention on finding Jungkook.” It was a dirty play and everyone knew it but it had the desired effect when Changkyun sighed heavily and shifted back into Hyungwon’s lap to nibble at the elder’s neck. He felt his hair being ruffled from Shownu’s fingers as he stood up, murmuring a soft, “Good boy,” before making his way towards the kitchen where Jin was watching.

“He’s still wearing the tracker,” the clanhead started, pulling a small, square piece of enchanted glass from his pocket. His hand glowed a soft powder blue as it hovered over the pane before he handed it to Shownu. “Bring my baby home, my love.”

Shownu shot the other a fond smile, leaning forward to press a kiss to Jin’s cheek. “We’ll be home before you know it, baby.”

Jin chuckled, rolling his eyes, “Yeah, yeah, hyung. Be safe, okay?”

“For you? Always.” 

“Why’d you bring me with you, hyung?” Namjoon asked as they trekked towards Jungkook’s tracker. “I would have thought you’d want to bring Wonho-hyung or Bambam since they’re closer to Kook.”

Shownu shot the younger wolf a sad smile. “Kook-ah needs someone who can relate to him.” He reached over to wrap his arm around the younger’s shoulder, pulling him close. “You know intimately what it’s like to be abandoned by your alpha.”

Namjoon whined sadly, stopping in his tracks to bury his face into the alpha’s neck. They were silent for a moment as Shownu combed through the beta’s hair with his fingers. “It helps that you’re a beta too. You know what his instincts are like better than any of us.” 

The younger wolf nodded his head pulling away to lace his fingers through his alpha’s. “Let’s go find our wayward puppy, hyung.”

The Alpha smiled approvingly as he held up the glass square in the hand not holding Namjoon’s. They walked on for a few more minutes, keeping their eyes and ears peeled for signs of their youngest wolf. Namjoon brought his hand up to stop Shownu from moving forward. He pointed towards a hollowed out stump where a small white tail was sticking out. 

Namjoon released Shownu’s hand, taking a careful step forward. “Jungkook-ah?” 

There was a startled yip as the tail tucked itself inside of the stump. Namjoon took another step forward, crouching down to peek inside. “Hi, pup,” he whispered, carefully sitting down cross legged in front of Jungkook. “Can you come out sweetheart?” 

Jungkook released a quiet, high pitched whine as he scooted further back into the stump. 

“Hey, it’s okay, angel,” He murmured, placing his hands on the ground, palms up. “Hyung just wants to make sure you’re okay. That can’t be a very comfy place to sleep, yeah? Wouldn’t you rather cuddle with hyung?” Jungkook whined again, covering his nose with his paws to hide his face. “Hmm? Very exclusive beta-only cuddle club, remember?” The baby wolf made a distressed noise, scooting out slightly on his belly. “That’s it. Good pup.” He pushed his hand forward through the grass towards the younger wolf. Jungkook wiggled forward more, carefully resting his snout in the elder’s palm. Namjoon smiled, using his fingers to scratch under the younger’s chin fondly. 

It took nearly twenty minutes for Namjoon to fully coerce Jungkook out from his hiding spot and into his lap. The wolf’s tiny body was no longer than the elder’s forearm, which broke Namjoon’s heart. He carefully cradled the younger in his arms as he pulled Jungkook up to rest against his chest. “Such a good pup,” he praised, pressing a kiss to the top of Jungkook’s furry head. 

The wolf yipped brokenly, trying to bury his face in the elder’s jacket. 

Shownu cautiously walked up to the duo, “You’re okay, Jungkook-ah. Thank you for coming out. Alpha is proud of you.” Jungkook whined, turning his head towards the alpha. “You’re such a beautiful wolf.”

Jungkook snuffled, turning back into Namjoon’s chest who chuckled fondly as he pet the younger’s fur. After a few minutes, Jungkook began to wiggle in the elder’s arms, asking to be put down. Namjoon set the pup on the ground, stepping back a few feet as Jungkook’s bones snapped and popped as he grew back into his human form. 

The younger looked down at the ground as he pulled on his pajama trousers uncomfortably. Shownu cooed, stepping forward to wrap his arms around the youngest wolf. “You’re okay, Jungkook-ah. You can get rid of those bad thoughts I know you’ve got swimming around in that beautiful head of yours. Hyungs aren’t mad nor do we think any less of you for your wolf.”

“But I’m a runt,” Jungkook breathed, choking back a sob. 

Shownu shook his head, frowning at the younger. “You’re my pup,” he stated with utter conviction. “I don’t ever want to hear you call yourself that again, alright? There is nothing wrong with being a small wolf.” He pulled the younger in for a tight hug. “Your size says nothing about your character and everything about the character of the ones who raised you, Jungkook-ah.” He tucked the younger’s head into the crevice of his neck and shoulder, releasing his peppermint scent to soothe the boy.

“Your pup?” Jungkook whispered into his skin, his voice thick with emotion. “Really?”

The alpha pressed a firm kiss to the top of Jungkook’s head, “Really, Kookie.” He rubbed his cheek against the younger’s, relishing in his scent on the other’s skin. “Mine.”

Jungkook sniffled, pressing close as tears began to make their way onto the elder’s neck. 

Shownu hushed the younger, rocking him slightly in his arms as he brought him to sit down on his lap on the ground. 

“You don’t want me, hyung,” Jungkook whispered, scenting the elder’s neck for comfort. “ ‘m broken— no good.”

The elder shook his head, pressing another kiss to Jungkook’s head as Namjoon joined them on the ground. “Just because your family pack couldn’t see past their own backwards ideals doesn’t mean we hold the same standards to our pack. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.”

Jungkook peeked out from Shownu’s neck to shoot the other beta a confused look. “Because you’re a beta?”

Namjoon pulled up his t-shirt, displaying a scarred patch of skin where an alpha’s bite had once rested. “Because I was pardoned too.”

The younger sucked in a breath, scooting out of Shownu’s arms to crawl into Namjoon’s. He leaned down, tucking his face into Namjoon’s neck to scent the elder beta. “Hyung,” he murmured sadly. 

The beta brought his hand up to comb through Jungkook’s hair. “I didn’t understand how Shownu-hyung could want me either,” he whispered. “But he did and he loved me and taught me how to love myself too. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a beta or being a— a  _ runt _ . You are beautiful, and kind, and smart. And everything that this pack needs.” He pressed a kiss to Jungkook’s temple, smiling into his skin. “And we will love you regardless of where you came from or what you are.”

Jungkook sniffled, clenching his eyes shut tight as he scented the beta. “Can— can you tell me? About your— your first pack?”

Namjoon released a humorless laugh, leaning into Shownu’s chest when the elder shuffled over to encompass both his betas. “It wasn’t much of a pack. That scar was a first bite and a pardon.”

“You’re a turned wolf?” The younger asked, astonished. 

The beta nodded his head, “It was back in the fourteen hundreds. My village was raided by a pack of rogue wolves. I was one of the few survivors. None of us were supposed to make it through the change and when the alpha of the pack realized we were still alive he came back for us.” He rubbed at his scar thoughtfully. “It was the most pain I have ever experienced.” Jungkook nodded his head in agreement, rubbing his cheek against the elder’s collarbone in comfort. “I really wasn’t supposed to survive the pardoning. I had already been weak from the change when the alpha came back and ripped through my packbite. I don’t think I would have made it if it hadn’t been for Kihyun-hyung and Jinyoung-hyung. They found me in the middle of the woods, wandering around half out of my mind. Hyungs brought me back to their home and patched me up. A hundred years later we stumbled into Shownu-hyung’s pack and never left.”

“Wow,” Jungkook murmured, unconsciously mouthing at the elder’s neck. “I’m sorry, hyungie.”

Namjoon smiled, petting the younger’s back. “It’s okay, baby. As horrible as my beginning was, it got me to where I am today and I could not be more thankful for that.” He dropped his neck back so that the youngest and the oldest could both scent at him. “I’m just so thankful we found you when we did, Jungkookie,” he murmured. “You’re the missing piece to our pack we didn’t know we needed.”

Shownu hummed in agreement. “I can’t imagine my life without you now that I’ve met you,” he added fondly, making the younger blush. The three cuddled until the sun had made its way high into the sky and they were interrupted by their growling stomachs. “We should get home and eat before the moon comes out.”

Jungkook whined, turning in Namjoon’s lap to wrap his arms around the elder’s shoulders. 

“It’ll be alright, Jungkookie,” Namjoon murmured, stroking the younger’s back as he shifted to let the alpha stand up. He accepted the hand that was offered to him as he stood up as well, keeping a firm hold under the younger’s butt as he did to keep him close to his chest. Jungkook wrapped his legs around the elder’s waist as Namjoon began walking back towards the house, Shownu’s hand a gentle guiding force on his lower back the whole way. 

The second they made it through the back door they were bombarded by worried maknaes. Namjoon let Jungkook down who was immediately wrapped up between Yugyeom and Changkyun who dropped to the floor with the wolf. 

“Kookie,” Yugyeom cried, pressing his face into the other’s chest. “What the hell is wrong with you? You don’t just  _ leave _ . Dammit, Jungkook. We’re a  _ pack _ . You have to  _ talk _ to us.”

Changkyun snuffled, fruitlessly biting back his tears as he buried his face in the other’s neck. “Kook-ah,” he whimpered, running his teeth along the other’s neck affectionately. “Love you, Kook-ah. Please don’t leave again.”

Jungkook wrapped his arms around the other babies, pulling Changkyun into his lap. “I’m sorry, hyung, Gyeomie. I wasn’t thinking.”

The two cuddled close, ignoring everyone around them as they reunited.

Seokjin’s voice broke through the quiet with a heavy sigh as he stepped up to the boys on the floor, exasperatedly asking, “Now that all the babies are home can we  _ please _ feed them?”

Shownu made a startled noise as he looked down at the babies in alarm. “What do you mean? Didn’t Gyeom and Kyun eat when we left?”

Jin huffed, crossing his arms. “ _ No _ . The brats. They took one bite and then refused to eat until Kook came home.” He looked down at the now two guilty babies on the floor. Changkyun buried his face in Jungkook’s neck, pointedly not looking at the hyungs as he hid. 

Jungkook squeezed his waist. “ _ Hyung _ ,” he admonished. “You need to eat.”

“I’m fine,” Changkyun muttered tonelessly. “I’ve gone way longer without eating. And besides— I wasn’t the only one not eating.”

The younger sighed exasperatedly as he looked up at Jin for help. The clanhead shot the boy a fond look as he bent down to pick up Changkyun despite his protests. 

“Jungkook-ah is home, Changkyun,” he scolded, carrying the smaller man over to the couch. He sat down, tucking the younger against his neck with little room to squirm away. “I’ve humored you thus far. Now it’s time to eat.” He brought his finger up to make a small incision on his neck next to the younger’s mouth before pulling the other’s legs over his lap to cradle him to his chest. Changkyun made a noise of protest, trying to pull away fruitlessly. “Changkyun,” Jin growled warningly. “Time. To. Eat.” The fledgling sighed exasperatedly before finally latching onto the elder’s neck and drinking with vigor. “Good boy,” Seokjin murmured, cupping the younger’s nape to hold him there in case he had any clever ideas of trying to escape again. “I don’t know why you feel the need to fight us about feeding. What did that prove, huh? Nothing.” He used his thumb to rub soothing circles on the vampire’s neck as he felt Changkyun swallowing begrudgingly against his hand. 

He looked up to see Yugyeom and Jungkook being swaddled by the other hyungs on another couch. Jin chuckled to himself as he heard the younger boys’ whining as they were each secured in a hyung’s lap while they were hand-fed lunch by Kihyun and Yoongi. 

“Hyung,” Yugyeom whined, trying to twist away from the chopsticks near his face. “I can feed myself.” 

Kihyun snorted, pushing the chopsticks against the younger’s lips until he finally relented and opened his mouth. “Clearly not,” the elder scolded, picking up more chicken for the younger while he chewed. “Otherwise you would have eaten when you were told. Now you get to be fed by your loving hyung while Jackson-ah holds you like the baby you are.” He held up the chopsticks again, barely giving the younger time to chew. “Eat.”

Jungkook had accepted his fate much more gracefully, relaxing against Wonho’s muscled chest tiredly as Yoongi fed him between little praising kisses. “Good boy, Kook-ah,” the vampire murmured happily. Wonho nuzzled Jungkook’s neck as he ate, rubbing little circles on the younger’s hips. 

Once the hyungs had deemed the babies sufficiently fed, they released them from their holds, allowing the three of them to drop down onto the floor and into each other’s arms again. Yugyeom immediately curled up into Jugnkook’s lap while Changkyun pressed a series of kisses to the wolf’s shoulder.

The rest of the clan started doing their own thing again once they were assured the babies were safe and sound. Most of them left the living room but those that stayed gave the three on the floor a wide berth as they moved throughout the room. “How are we doing it tonight?” Changkyun whispered into the wolf’s skin.

Jungkook turned his head, resting it on Changkyun’s as he rubbed Yugyeom’s back. “I— I kind of want to run with the pack— if you two are okay with it.”

Yugyeom turned in his arms, giving his best friend a serious look. “If that’s what you want, Kook, we one hundred percent support your decision.” 

Changkyun nodded his head in agreement, “Whatever you’re comfortable with, Kookie. We have your back.”

The wolf buried his face in Yugyeom’s chest, sniffling happily as the two boy’s cuddled their wolf. 

“I still expect puppy-Kookie cuddles,” Changkyun added, kissing the side of Jungkook’s head.

The younger nodded dutifully, a playful smile spreading across his face. “Oh don’t worry, hyungie. I know you can’t survive without my cuddles.”

Changkyun nodded his head sagely. “I really can’t.”

Jungkook’s smile grew soft, pressing a soft kiss to Changkyun’s lips. “Love you, hyung.”

It was nearing six o’clock when Shownu came back into the living room, dropping down into a crouch next to the loveseat the three newest maknaes had congregated on. “We’re about to leave for the run, Jungkook-ah,” he murmured. The younger wolf nodded, shooting the alpha a nervous smile as he turned to the two boys still in his lap. Jungkook pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks before shuffling them off his lap, lovingly arranging them so that they were pressed closely together making them giggle. 

“Love you,” he murmured.

Yugyeom beamed up at the wolf, blowing him a kiss. “Love you more. Have fun Kookie.”

“Love you,” Changkyun whispered, closing his eyes against the younger’s shoulder. “See you in the morning?”

Jungkook nodded in the affirmative. “See you in the morning, hyung.” He stood up, accepting the hand the alpha offered to him. 

Shownu wrapped his arm around the younger’s shoulders as he led him out to the backyard where the rest of the pack was waiting. Bambam and Jooheon bounded up to the younger excitedly. 

“I’m so excited you’re running with us tonight, Kookie,” Bambam exclaimed, jumping around the younger. He wrapped his arms around Jungkook, nuzzling their noses together affectionately. Jooheon wrapped his arms around the younger from behind, nipping at his neck playfully. 

The pack alpha came over to the trio, “Have you ever ran with a pack before, Jungkook-ah?” At the younger’s embarrassed headshake, he smiled softly, reaching up to ruffle the younger’s bangs. “That’s alright, baby. We have a formation when we run to keep everyone safe: Wonho and Jaebum take the lead, my omegas follow, then Namjoon and Jackson with me at the back of the pack. As the youngest, you’ll run with the omegas.” Jungkook nodded, eyes wide as he shifted nervously. Shownu cupped his face, “No one here will think any less of you for your size. We all want you here because we love you, Jungkook-ah.” He leaned in conspiratorially to whisper in the younger’s ear. “In fact, I guarantee everyone is going to absolutely love your wolf.”

Jungkook looked down as he blushed, nodding his head to the alpha who kissed the top of his head in praise. He glanced back at the window of the house where he spotted Yugyeom and Changkyun watching with wide smiles. He could see Seokjin behind them, an arm around each of their shoulders as they watched on. The youngest threw up his hand in a wave before walking over to the rest of the pack.

Namjoon reached over to squeeze the nape of the younger’s neck. “Ready to shift, baby?” He asked.

The younger beta nodded his head slowly watching as the others began to shift around him. His self consciousness grew as he saw the sizes of the other wolves, even the omegas were larger than him. Namjoon seemed to sense his apprehension, rubbing his shoulders soothingly. “You won’t alway be as small as you are now, precious. The more your wolf is enriched the better you’ll grow. Until then— let us enjoy how small and cute you are.” He pressed a kiss to Jungkook’s cheek before nudging the younger forward encouragingly. 

The omegas were all already shifted bouncing around excitedly as they watched Jungkook with rapt attention. Jooheon and Bambam were both about the size of a mastiff who towered over Mark who barely reached Jaebum’s knee. Jungkook took a deep breath as he allowed his wolf to take over. He felt himself shrink down into his wolf form, thankful to note that he and Mark were nearly eye to eye. Jungkook stumbled over to the omegas, always a little rocky on his paws when he first shifted. He felt a wolf pick him up by the scruff when he almost fell over. Jooheon released him as soon as he was on all fours again, yipping happily as he hopped in circles around the smaller wolf. 

There was a quiet, breathless “ _ Fuck _ ” muttered by Wonho and a near silent reply of “I  _ know _ ” from Shownu. 

The rest of the wolves shifted, getting into position as they took off into the night. Jungkook felt like he was soaring, running in circles around the omegas as they pounced playfully. Jackson nipped warningly as he strayed too far away from the pack, pulling him back into line with an overly fond yip. They reached a clearing a few miles from the house where they all laid back to relax under the moonlight. He rolled around in the grass with Bambam and Jooheon for what felt like hours before Wonho padded over to pick him up by the scruff with his teeth. He carried the pup over to the other wolves and gently set him down between his front paws as he laid down and began grooming the younger. 

Jungkook whined goodnaturedly, fighting half-heartedly for a few seconds before surrendering to his fate. Wonho growled approvingly, licking back his fur. He was thankful to see the omegas receiving the same fate as him by the other alphas and betas; poor Bambam had been ganged up on by both Jaebum and Jackson and was currently whining pitifully between them.

The youngest wolf closed his eyes, head rocking with the motions of Wonho’s licks as he was lulled into a pseudo sleep. He relaxed against the older wolf, head dropping down onto Wonho’s paws as he let out little contented snuffles into the quiet night. It was nearing early morning now, and he figured a few hours of rest under the watchful eyes of his hyungs could be permitted.

Changkyun couldn't stop pacing. The second Jungkook ran out of sight, his feet started moving. Two hours in and he was still going strong. By this point, his nails were bitten down to the bud as he continuously checked out the window every time he turned around. 

“Changkyun-ah,” Minhyuk called from the sofa. Changkyun ignored him as he continued pacing in front of the window. Yugyeom had taken a different approach, asking Kihyun and Jinyoung to teach him some kitchen magic to distract him. The three were in the kitchen, protective wards thrown up to shield the rest of the house in case the youngest witch’s magic went wayward. Jimin and Taehyung had disappeared upstairs with Youngjae for a ‘maknae party’ which Changkyun had resolutely ignored the invitation to. 

Jin, Yoongi, and Hoseok were sitting off in the far corner talking quietly amongst themselves. Every once in a while, Changkyun would catch one of their eyes and he’d quickly look away before the worry in their expressions could cause him more guilt. 

Minhyuk sighed exasperatedly, “Changkyun-ah. Come here, baby.”

The younger resolutely ignored him, turning to pace back to the far side of the window once more. He continued on for another few minutes uninterrupted before Hyungwon stood up. He shuffled up behind the younger, wrapping his long, lanky arms around Changkyun to prevent him from moving forward further. “You make me tired just looking at you, Kkukkungie,” he muttered, pressing his lips to the fledgling’s neck. “Come lay down with me.” Changkyun shook his head, looking out the window again. Hyungwon sighed, picking the young up around the waist and pulling him over to the couch despite his protests. “That wasn’t a question, baby.” He laid his head down in Minhyuk’s lap, tucking Changkyun’s head firmly against his chest as he threw a leg over the younger’s trapping him to the cushions. He carded his fingers through the fledgling’s hair as he whispered, “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Jungkook-ah is safe with the hyungs.” He hummed, “Just relax. Are you thirsty?” 

Changkyun shook his head, burying his face in the elder’s chest.

“Changkyun-ah,” Jin chided warningly.

The younger released a world weary sigh, slowly nodding his head. “Yes, hyung,” he mumbled. 

Hyungwon smiled affectionately, dragging the younger’s mouth up to the junction of his neck and shoulder. Without fanfare, Changkyun bit down and began to drink begrudgingly. 

“You can’t keep refusing to eat just because Jungkook or Yugyeom are out of your direct line of sight,” Jin scolded. “It’s not healthy, baby. Please don’t make hyung have to put a monitoring charm on your collar as well.”

Changkyun pressed his face closer to Hyungwon’s neck in embarrassment. Ignoring the elder as he continued to drink slowly. He felt the air move as Hyungwon flapped his arm behind his back, most likely trying to send Seokjin ‘not the time’ vibes. It seemed to work, because the elder ceased his scolding, turning back to his conversion with Hoseok and Yoongi amicably. 

Minhyuk petted the younger two’s hair as he hummed lowly to himself. Changkyun fell asleep like that: mouth against Hyungwon, being pressed against tightly, Minhyuk’s hand in his hair, and the other hyung’s soft voices a gentle backdrop in the late night. 

Yugyeom sighed from the door of the kitchen, leaning against the frame heavily.

“Is he okay?” Jinyoung asked, pulling at his lip nervously from his place behind the younger witch. 

“I think he will be,” Yugyeom replied carefully, watching Changkyun’s body finally relax against Hyungwon as the elder fell asleep. 

Jinyoung wrapped his arms around the younger’s waist as he rested his chin on Yugyeom’s shoulder. He sighed sadly against the younger witch’s skin. “I just wish I could take all of your traumas away,” he murmured. “The three of you— you're such sweet boys. You don’t— you don’t deserve any of the bad things that have happened to you.”

Yugyeom dropped his hand back against the elder’s shoulder as he hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe— but without those traumas we would have never met the clan.”

The elder released a soft, sad giggle. “Alright, I’ll give you that, baby.” He squeezed the younger’s hips affectionately. “Do you know why he reacted like this though?”

He shrugged, eyes watching his youngest hyung closely. “He’s always reacted badly when one of us left. It was an adjustment— not being able to leave the church at the same time. The first time we left him home alone he nearly lost it. We found him shoved in a cupboard crying when we got back. The refusing to eat is new though. Usually he eats more when he’s worried.”

Jinyoung hummed unhappily. 

“He— despite how long we’ve known him, we don’t know much about his past before he was changed,” Yugyeom continued. “Changkyun-hyung doesn’t like to talk about his past. All we know is that he was living rough all alone before we found him.”

The elder pulled him back into the kitchen, wedging him firmly between himself and Kihyun. The two hugged him sadly, pressing soft little kisses to his cheeks before pulling away and turning back to the potion they had simmering on the stovetop.

“We’ll take care of you,” Kihyun murmured, lacing his fingers through the younger’s in a promise.

Jungkook practically skipped through the clearing as he shifted back to his human form. He felt Jooheon wrap his arms around his back as he climbed up him like a tree, making the elder giggle. 

“I love how strong you are, Jungkookie,” He giggled. “You can carry me home, right, maknae?”

The younger hummed in agreement, hooking his arms under Jooheon’s thighs to secure him to his back making the other squeal excitedly. 

“Jungkook-ah,” Shownu called, standing beside the rest of the wolves who had all also shifted back to their human forms. “Time to go home, pup.”

The maknae ran over, holding on to Jooheon tightly so that the elder didn’t fall. He skidded to a stop in front of the alpha making the wolves laugh. 

“Did you have fun, pup?” Wonho asked, wrapping a hand around Jungkook’s waist. The younger nodded his head as Jooheon hopped off his back to go cling onto Jackson. Wonho took the younger’s freed space to wrap both his arms around the beta in a warm hug. 

Shownu stepped over to the duo, wrapping his arms around the youngest’s waist. “Can we talk angel?” Jungkook bit his lip, frowning as he nodded his head hesitantly. “It’s nothing bad, sweetheart,” he reassured, pulling Jungkook over to the circle of wolves. He sat down on the ground, patting the grass in front of him for the youngest who dutifully took a seat.

The rest of the wolves all sat down as well, making a semi-circle out from their pack alpha. Shownu leaned forward to take Jungkook’s hands in his, a serious look spreading across his face as he stared at the youngest. 

“Jungkook-ah,” he began. “We love you so much. And after the run we all agree that you fit perfectly here. I— we’d like for you to join the pack. You’re— exactly what we’re missing and we’d be honored if you agreed to take our mark.”

Jungkook’s eyes were saucers as he took in the alpha’s words, staring at him like he had spoken a foreign language. “You— you  _ want _ me?” He breathed, turning his head to see the encouraging and hopeful looks on each of the other wolves surrounding him. “Really?” At the enthusiastic round of nods and reassurances he received, he took a deep, steadying breath, looking down at his and Shownu’s joined hands. “Can— can I think about it? I— really,  _ really _ would love to but— but I can’t make that kind of decision without talking to Changkyun-hyung and Yugyeom. I— they were my pack first and I’m not—  _ won’t _ give them up. No matter how amazing you all are.”

Shownu smiled, pulling Jungkook into his lap so that he could press a soft kiss to the younger’s forehead. “Of course, baby. I would never ask you to choose between us. We’re hoping eventually all three of you will join the clan but we don’t want to push you too fast. I just— I couldn’t walk away from today without giving you the option to join us. And the offer will always be open. If you’re not ready now but decide a few years down the line that you do want to join then all you have to do is ask.” He hugged the youngest as close to his chest as possible, running his hand up and down the younger’s back. “We will always want you, Jungkook-ah.”

The beta tucked his head into the alpha’s neck, hot tears making their way down his face as he gripped Shownu’s shoulders like a lifeline. “Hyung,” he sobbed. He heard Mark coo from behind him before he felt the omega’s body press up against his back as he was enclosed in what quite possibly might have been the world’s best hug. 

“Such a good pup,” Mark crooned, pressing little kisses up the side of the younger’s neck. “Hyungs love you so much.”

After Jungkook’s tears subsided, Shownu stood up, keeping the younger in his arms as the pack made their way back to the house. 

The second they breached the treeline to the backyard, the door to the house flew open and a blur shot out towards them. The wolves raised their heads in alarm at Minhyuk’s petrified shout of “Changkyun!”

The youngest vampire practically flew through the backyard, bodily colliding with Jungkook’s larger frame and knocking him to the ground. “Hyung?” Jungkook panicked, quickly flipping them over and tucking the elder’s head into his chest. He could smell the putrid scent of burning flesh as Changkyun grappled at his back for purchase. 

“Kook-ah,” he cried, gripping the younger’s t-shirt frantically. “Kook-ah.” 

Jungkook sighed in relief as he felt a large blanket flap over the two of them, fully blocking out the sun. “Hyung,” he admonished, pulling back to stare at the elder’s tear streaked face. He took in the reddening skin, some areas, like his fingers, where he had received the most exposure, had turned a horrid shade of black. “What were you  _ thinking _ , hyung?”

“You— you were gone,” he sobbed, scrabbling to pull the wolf closer to him. 

He could hear the hyungs talking from outside their impromptu blanket fort. “He woke up in a panic,” Minhyuk muttered nervously. “I know he was upset but— I think he had a nightmare. We— we couldn’t console him. The kid wouldn’t even eat.”

Shownu hummed, worry evident as he said, “Let’s get them inside. Hoseok-ah— can you make a bubble for me?”

It was silent for a moment before the blanket was pulled back, revealing a very concerned pack alpha. “I don’t know what to do, hyung,” Jungkook fretted, tears making their way down his cheeks as he examined his packmate. “I’ve never seen him like this. He’s— he’s really burned.”

“It’ll be okay, pup,” the elder assured, helping Jungkook pull back slightly from the vampire. Changkyun made a high-pitched keening noise as the wolf moved away, making to follow him. Jungkook shushed his hyung, pulling Changkyun to sit in his lap instead as he cradled the elder. Shownu carefully took the blanket and wrapped it around the younger boys. “I’ll lead you inside, okay? I’m afraid he won’t react well to having your scent muffled by the blanket if we just wrapped him up.”

“Good thinking, hyung,” Jungkook whispered shakily. He took a deep steadying breath as he stood up, standing still so that Shownu could tuck the blanket securely around the two maknaes. The elder wrapped his arm around Jungkook’s waist, keeping the blanket cinched in his grip as they trekked the rest of the way to the house. 

Once they were inside, Shownu removed the blanket before continuing to lead them over to the couch where Jinyoung and Hoseok were waiting with burn salve. Jungkook sat down, keeping Changkyun in his lap as he did his best to hold back his tears. Yugyeom was quick to join them on the couch, reaching up to pet the elder’s hair as he pressed a kiss to Jungkook’s cheek. 

They heard Jinyoung suck in a breath through his teeth as he took hold of one of the vampire’s hands. “Fuck,” he muttered. “This is going to take more than just salve.”

“Taehyung,” Hoseok called shakily. The younger ran up, eyes wide in terror as he inspected the baby. “I need you to help Jinyoung with his hands, sweetie.” He shifted over on the coffee table they were sitting on, making room for the youngest of the three between them. Taehyung nodded determinedly, rubbing his hands as they began to glow white. Hoseok took another tin of salve and began rubbing it in to the vampire’s neck and face, clucking disapprovingly whenever Changkyun tried to hide his face in Jungkook’s chest again. 

Jungkook could hear Seokjin herding the clan out of the living room, sending them to the den with words of reassurance before coming over to the group on the couch. “How is he?” He asked. His face was pinched with worry as he moved to sit down on Jungkook’s unoccupied side. 

Jinyoung sighed, “He burned himself pretty bad, hyung. I— I’m afraid his hands might scar.” 

Hoseok tilted the younger’s head up, making Changkyun whine as he tried to bury his face back into Jungkook’s neck. “Changkyun,” he scolded, pulling the younger’s chin towards him again. “Stay still. Hyung is trying to help you.”

Changkyun whined, “ ‘m fine, ‘yung.” He slurred, trying to pull away. “Jus’— jus’ lemme— Kook.” 

“You’re sitting on Kook’s lap, Changkyun-ah. You need to sit still so hyungs can help you, okay?” Hoseok explained, keeping the younger’s chin in his grip as he worked the salve into his cheeks. “You need to behave, baby.”

“What— what happened?” Jungkook asked, holding tightly to Changkyun’s waist. 

“I’m not entirely sure, treasure,” Jin replied. “He— he’s been off since you left last night. We got him to eat once from Hyungwon but not much.” The clanhead wrung his hands nervously as he watched the witches work. 

Yugyeom bit his lip. “I— I think his sire abandoning him really messed with him.”

Taehyung sighed, “That’s more than just being abandoned by a sire— that’s a lifetime of abandonment issues.” He grabbed some gauze from the table behind him, wrapping the blackened fingers after coating them with the burn salve liberally. 

“I— “ Jungkook looked up, making eye contact with Shownu standing near the entrance to the den. “I can’t right now, alpha,” he choked out, swallowing down the sobs that tried to bubble up his throat. “I’m sorry.”

“Can’t what, Jungkook?” Yugyeom asked, looking between the two in worried confusion. He frowned when the wolf just shook his head in response.

“It’s alright, pup,” Shownu murmured, giving the younger a sad, understanding smile. “I understand. You take care of your pack. We’ll still be here when you’re ready.”

Jungkook turned to bury his head into Yugyeom’s chest, biting back sobs as Changkyun tried to press himself against the younger in concern.

“Kook-ah,” he mumbled, pulling away from Hoseok to rub his cheek against the hollow of Jungkook’s throat. “S’kay, Kook. Yo’re ‘kay.”

The younger wrapped his arms around Changkyun’s body, holding him close to keep him still so the hyungs could finish their work. “I am, Changkyun-hyung. You’ll be okay, too.”

They were silent as the witches finished healing Changkyun the best they could. “The baby needs to eat,” Jinyoung stated, looking worriedly between Jungkook’s red rimmed eyes and the very out-of-it vampire in his lap. 

Jungkook nodded tiredly, tucking Changkyun’s head against his neck. He used a nail to nick himself to entice Changkyun to drink from him. The elder sniffed curiously before he pressed in closer and sank his fangs into his dongsaeng’s neck. The fledgling drank sluggishly, like he was trying to hold himself back even as he was starving. 

Jin sighed, cautiously reaching forward to brush back the younger vampire’s bangs. “At least he’s eating.” 

“Not well, hyung,” Jungkook mumbled, dragging Jin’s hand down to feel the slow movement of the younger vampire’s throat making the elder hum disapprovingly. 

They were silent as they watched Changkyun drink. Eventually, Hoseok corralled Jinyoung and Taehyung into the den with the rest of the clan, leaving Jin with the babies. The clanhead leaned back on the arm of the couch, opening his arms for Jungkook and Yugyeom to cuddle into him. They wedged a now-sleeping Changkyun between them who didn’t so much as twitch at the change in positions. 

“I’m worried, hyung,” Yugyeom confessed quitely. 

Jin brought his hand up to card his fingers through the boy’s hair. “We’ll figure it out together, baby. I’ll make sure Kyun-ah is alright. Hyung promises. We will take care of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're getting into the meat of this story. I hope you're ready! XD
> 
> Thank you for reading and I'll see all of you in the next chapter soon!


	7. The Goetic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugyeom's past comes back to haunt him. Luckily, he has hyungs that are willing to kill for him.

Changkyun woke up feeling like he had been steamrolled by a truck. He groaned, rolling to press his face into the warm chest against his side, immediately whimpering when the touch sent stinging pain through his face. 

“Ow,” he muttered, idiotically trying to nuzzle his face into the chest again for comfort. He whined, opening his eyes to see a slightly amused but still very concerned Jungkook in front of him. “Hi, Kook-ah.”

“Hi, hyung,” the younger replied, bringing a hand up to comb through Changkyun’s hair. “Feeling better?” 

Changkyun’s brows furrowed, “What happened?” 

Jin spoke up from underneath them softly, “What do you remember from this morning?”

The younger paused, thinking back through his fuzzy memories. He remembered feeling anxious— really anxious. Why had he been so anxious? 

Oh. 

He felt his body stiffen as he looked over to Jungkook. “You left. I— I don’t know why I reacted like that. I’m sorry, Jungkook-ah.” He looked away, closing his eyes. “I hope I didn’t ruin your run.”

“Hyung,” Jungkook choked out. “You nearly killed yourself.”

“I—” 

“Look at your hands, hyung,” He growled. “You’re not going to be able to use your hands for weeks and that’s with Tae-hyung's healing magic. How could you be so reckless?”

Changkyun shook his head, sitting up. “I’m— I don’t—” He looked over to Seokjin with tears in his eyes. “I don’t know why I freaked out so much.”

Jin sighed, shuffling Yugyeom and Jungkook off his chest so that he could move to pick up the younger vampire, setting him in his lap as he rocked his body gently. “I know you’re scared Changkyun-ah. It’s been a lot of change in the past six months. But you need to  _ talk _ to us when you feel like this. How can we help? What do you need?”

The younger shook his head, burying his face in Jin’s neck. “I just need to stop overreacting. I’m sorry. I’ll— I’ll do better in the future.”

“I don’t want you to apologize for having emotions, baby. Promise me you’ll talk to one of us next time you get scared and all is forgiven,” Jin compromised, brushing back the younger’s hair fondly. He smiled when he felt Changkyun nod against his skin. “Good boy. Now— who do you want to give you breakfast?” The younger tensed in his arms and he tutted reproachfully. “Not eating is not an option, little one.”

The boy was silent for a moment before quietly whispering, “Gyeomie.”

The witch released an approving hum as he sat up to collect his tiny hyung in his lap. He tucked Changkyun’s head close to his neck, closing his eyes as he felt Chagnkyun begin to drink from him. Jin carded his fingers through the younger’s hair as he tucked them both under his arm. Jungkook took the silent invitation to curl around the clanhead’s free side as he watched Changkyun drink with rapt attention. Changkyun pulled back after a minute, making the other couch inhabitants frown. 

“There’s no way you’re full yet, hyung,” Yugyeom complained. “Please eat. I promise I’m okay to feed you.”

Changkyun played deaf, nuzzling into the younger’s chest stubbornly. Seokjin sighed heavily, shaking his head sadly. “We’ll try again in a bit.”

“He’s probably in too much pain to eat,” Hoseok called from the doorway. The witch came over to the couch, carefully resting his hand on the baby vampire’s hair. “Isn’t that right, baby?” Changkyun hummed, closing his eyes as he leaned back into the touch. Hoseok smiled, bending down to pick up the young vampire from Yugyeom’s lap. “Let’s go find Taetae and heal you up some more so you can eat.” The fledgling nodded tiredly, resting his head gently on Hoseok’s shoulder. “Yoongi-hyung made lunch, boys,” He said, nodding his head towards the kitchen. “Please eat well— and make sure our lovely clanhead eats as well!”

He could hear Jin’s disgruntled huff as he walked off with the baby, laughing as he turned toward the den where he knew Taehyung was waiting. 

Yugyeom bit his lip, looking nervously to where Changkyun was sleeping against Wonho’s chest. “Are you sure he’ll be alright, hyung?” He asked, pulling on his ear. 

Jin smiled from his seat next to Wonho. “Kyun-ah will be fine, angel,” he reassured. “He’s been doing a lot better these last few weeks. The baby will be fine without you for a few hours. Hyung’s promise.”

The witch giggled, smiling softly as Mark wrapped his arms around Yugyeom. “Jin-hyung and Wonho will take good care of the baby while we’re gone.” He reached up, pinching the younger’s cheeks. “It’s my turn to treat my sweet baby.” Mark nuzzled between the younger’s shoulder blades. 

Yugyeom smiled, moving forward to drop a kiss onto Changkyun’s forehead before dutifully turning his cheek for Jin and Wonho to give him kisses as well. He blew them both a kiss before accepting Mark’s outstretched hand and letting the elder lead him towards the door to the garage. “Where are we going, hyung?” He asked as he buckled himself into the passenger seat. 

“You’ll have to wait and see,” Mark sang, starting the car and backing out. They sang along to the radio as Mark drove them to the Songpa district. Yugyeom squealed excitedly as they stopped in front of a movie theatre.

“Really, hyung?” He asked, bouncing excitedly in his seat. “I’ve never been to a movie before.”

“You haven’t?” Mark asked in astonishment as they got out of the car. At the younger's head shake he smiled sadly and wrapped his arm around his waist. “Well then— I’m happy to be here for your first.”

Yugyeom scrunched his nose cutely as they entered the theatre. “Don’t say it like that, hyung. It’s weird.” 

Mark smiled as he listened to the witch excitedly reenact the ending of the movie as they walked down the street towards an ice cream shop. The elder had just hit the crosswalk button when Yugyeom abruptly stopped talking. He turned to look at the younger to see what happened only to find the boy frozen in his tracks a few feet behind him. 

“Gyeomie?” He called, cocking his head in confusion.

“Auntie—” the boy stuttered, taking a step back as he stared at something behind Mark. 

The wolf’s eyes widened, whipping his head around just in time for him to be hit with a paralysis jinx by a short, white haired woman. “Idiot child,” the woman snarled, holding Mark’s limp body up by his neck. Her long, yellowed nails dug into his skin like talons as he gasped for breath, uselessly trying to fight back despite the jinx. “You think you keep power to yourself? That belongs to the Goetic.” Mark’s eyes widened as he was forced to watch Yugyeom fall to his knees in front of the Goetic witch. 

“Please don’t hurt him, Auntie,” the boy begged, bowing lowly. “I’m sorry— sorry.” 

She held out her glowing red hand to the younger witch. “Let Auntie taste,” 

Yugyeom bit back a sob as he extended his wrist, allowing the witch to snatch him up in her grip. Her magic burned his skin, making him bite back a scream as she pulled at his power. The witch threw Mark’s limp body to the ground as she pulled Yugyeom closer. 

The woman hissed sharply, shaking Yugyeom in anger. “What is this? First dud, now  _ light _ . Another sun— just like my Yoojinnie.  _ Disgusting.” _

Mark stared on in horror. He wasn’t in control of his own body, each limb felt as though thousand pound weights were anchoring each of them to the ground. The wolf whined in panic as Yugyeom sobbed harder. 

The witch used her talon-like fingernails to yank down his shirt to examine the younger’s claim mark. “You wretched boy— you  _ mistake _ ,” she hissed, pressing her nails into the boy’s skin until blood bubbled up, trickling down his chest and onto his shirt. “You let a  _ mutt _ claim you? Shameful.”

“I’m sorry, Auntie,” he sobbed, dropping his head as the woman shook him violently. 

She dragged him away from the paralyzed wolf still lying on the ground.

Mark whined frantically, unable to open his mouth as he struggled against the spell. “ ‘m sorry, hyungie,” Yugyeom gasped as he was yanked away, his arm still being held by his aunt as she continued to drain him, tendrils of red magic digging into his skin like rose thorns. “ ‘m sorry.”

The wolf was forced to watch his baby get dragged away through his tears by the Goetic as his body stayed uncooperative. An elderly man stumbled over to him as Yugyeom disappeared around the corner, “Are you alright, son?” He pulled out his phone, “Should I call you an ambulance?” 

Mark focused all his energy into shaking his head, tears streaming down his face as he struggled to sit up. The man helped him, letting him lean against his chest as Mark gasped for air. “She— she took him,” he gasped, trying to get his hand to move to his pocket where his phone was. “My baby— I need— I need to call—" 

The man patted Mark’s shoulder gently, eyes centering in on where the wolf was trying to get his hand with little success. He brought his own hand down, pulling out the phone easily and placing it in Mark’s hand. “This what you need, son?”

Mark nodded, shaky fingers unlocking the screen and pulling up Shownu’s contact information. He hit the call button, waiting anxiously as it rang a few times before the alpha answered. 

“ _ Mark-ah?” _ Shownu asked. He could hear Taehyung and Jackson bickering playfully in the background . “ _ Are you having a good time with the baby?” _

“A— Alpha,” he bit off a choked sob. He felt the old man behind him rub his shoulder again. “Alpha. She took him.”

“ _ Who took him?” _ Shownu asked, all playfulness in his voice gone as it was replaced with his serious alpha tone. “ _ Mark-ah. What happened? Where’s Yugyeom?” _

Mark sobbed. “I don’t know— alpha— I don’t know. Can’t— can’t move. She took my baby.”

He heard Shownu take a deep, steadying breath through the phone. “ _ We’re on our way, baby _ ,” he murmured. Mark could hear the increased frantic voices in the background as the clan hurriedly made plans. “ _ Take a deep breath for alpha. Hoseok-ah is making a portal right now. We’ll be there in thirty seconds.” _ Mark nodded even though Shownu couldn’t see him. “ _ I’m hanging up now so I can come through. I’ll be right there. _ ”

Mark let the phone drop from his numb fingers as the man patted his shoulder again. “Some pack you got there, kid.”

The wolf nodded, struggling to sit up on his own as the white glow of Hoseok’s portal opened a few feet in front of him. Shownu stormed through first, immediately collecting Mark from the old man’s hold. “Baby,” he murmured, tucking Mark’s head into his shoulder.

“He’s been hexed pretty badly,” the old man informed, standing up now that Mark had someone else supporting him. “I only saw the tail end of what happened. But there’s not anything I can do against a Goetic.”

Seokjin stepped out of the portal, reaching out a hand to shake the man’s. His eyes glowed black as he held on for a moment longer than socially acceptable before pulling away and nodding his head. “Thank you for your help, sir. I appreciate you looking after my pup in my absence.”

The man nodded, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably as he took a step back. “I hope you find your packmate.”

The clanhead nodded, taking a second to shoot the man an appreciative smile before turning back to Mark. “Angel,” he cooed, running his fingers through the wolf’s hair. “Can hyung take a peek in your memories?”

Mark nodded gratefully, leaning into the touch as Seokjin’s eyes glowed black again. As his eyes faded back to normal, the vampire released an animalistic growl. “That woman is dying today,” he hissed, pressing a kiss to the omega’s forehead. He turned to Shownu, “Take Mark home, Nu. Send me the party— we’re going hunting.”

Yoongi stepped through Hoseok’s portal, his face set in a determined scowl as he examined the intersection keenly. Jin stepped up to meet him, bringing a hand down onto the back of the younger vampire’s neck. His eyes fluttered dangerously as he watched Mark’s memory though Jin. 

“I’m going to tear that bitch apart with my  _ teeth _ ,” he growled, clenching his fists tightly.

Jaebum and Jackson stepped through the portal next, quickly followed by Kihyun and Jinyoung. Hoseok wrapped his arms around both of the witches. “Bring our baby home, yeah?” he whispered against Jinyoung’s temple. The elder nodded determinedly before Hoseok opened the portal, nodding once to Seokjin before stepping through and closing it behind him. 

Jin stepped forward, the hunting party forming a circle around him as they eyed the glass pane in his palm. “He hasn’t gotten far,” he stated, forever thankful the babies had grown fond of their collars and had never asked for them to be taken off. “We need to go south.”

The party headed off, practically flying as they trekked through the city streets towards Yugyeom’s beacon. They made their way to the industrial district of Seoul where they followed Yugyeom’s tracker to an old warehouse near the river. 

The clanhead motioned towards the sides of the building. “Jinyoung, Kihyun— seal this place off. I don’t want any of these bastards getting out. Jaebum, Yoongi, Jackson— you’re with me. Let’s go ring the doorbell.” 

Jaebum growled menacingly stepping in line behind Seokjin as the vampire made his way to the heavy metal doors. The wolf’s enhanced ears could hear Yugyeom’s strangled whimpers from outside and it took everything in him not to just barge through the door ahead of his clanhead. Jin, however, did not waste any time in opening the door with a strong burst of his magic. 

There, in the center of the large, empty building, was Yugyeom. He was lying face up covered in a sinister red light as three other witches loomed over his still form. Jackson released a window rattling snarl as he took a threatening step forward. 

The witches paused, the tendrils of black magic hovering in the air as they glanced over at the pack unconcerned. An old, haggard looking woman took a step forward towards Jin. “Auntie found the dud,” she explained gleefully, gesturing backwards towards Yugyeom. “Not a dud— little trickster.” She smiled, showing off a set of rotting teeth as she turned around to face her coven again. “Gonna eat him right up.”

Jin growled, taking a threatening step forward as well. A flash of sharp magic flew up in front of him, creating a see-through wall. A younger woman, looking much more put together than ‘Auntie’, stepped forward threateningly. “Stay put, bloodsucker. This doesn’t concern you.”

“Like hell it doesn’t. That’s my childe you’ve stolen.” 

The woman laughed, “ _ Him _ ? You must be really desperate for a clan then. This boy is useless— should have done the smart thing and just drowned him at birth like my mother did to her son. Regardless, he is  _ my _ offspring.” She grinned maliciously. “And I am going to take back what is mine. If he really means that much to you, I’ll give you the carcass when I’m done with him.” She sneered before turning back to Yugyeom, having full faith her magic would hold against a mediocre vampire.

Jin scoffed, slashing his hand through the air, shattering the wall like glass, before flashing forward to pick the woman up off the ground by her hair. “That is  _ my _ childe. And you will not harm another hair on his head.” Jaebum and Yoongi quickly subdued the other two witches as Jackson fell to his knees in front of Yugyeom whose whimpers had quieted significantly once his ex-coven had stopped trying to drain him of his magic. 

“Hyung,” he sobbed, reaching a shaky hand up for Jackson’s who quickly clasped their fingers together. 

“I’m right here, angel. Hyung is here.” He pressed a trembling kiss to Yugyeom’s cheek before picking up the shaking body to cradle him in his arms. The witch clung to him, burying his face in the elder’s neck as he allowed himself to fully break down in the safety of his hyung’s arms. 

He heard a guttural scream, turning his head just in time to watch Yoongi tear his teeth through his aunt’s jugular. Her blood arched impressively as the vampire let her body drop the second she was dead. He gagged, spitting out her blood onto the concrete floor. “Fucking disgusting,” he grumbled, stepping over her dead body as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The vampire made his way over to Yugyeom, cupping the boy’s face in his large hands. “Baby,” he whispered.

The younger reached out a shaky hand to touch Yoongi’s cheek, futilely trying to wipe off his aunt’s blood from his hyung’s beautiful skin. 

There was a jarring set of twin screams as Seokjin and Jaebum both bodily ripped the other two witches in half. Jin took a moment to scan the building, eyes glowing yellow as he turned in a slow circle. After a complete 360, he turned his head toward the door, “It’s clear. You can come in, babies.” 

Kihyun and Jinyoung raced in, not even pausing to take in the carnage their hyungs had created before enveloping Yugyeom between them. 

“Aish,” Jinyoung tutted, letting the tips of his fingers glow a soft blue as he rubbed Yugyeom’s temples. “Your magic, baby.” The smaller witch hummed in disapproval as he added his hands to help aid their baby. “Just go to sleep, sweetheart,” Jinyoung murmured. “Hyungs will take care of you.”

Yugyeom whimpered once more before closing his eyes as he melted into the elders’ hold, trusting that his hyungs would take care of him. 

Yugyeom woke up slowly. He groaned, rolling into the chest he was lying against as wakefulness prodded his conscious. Fingers carded through his hair as he heard Hoseok hum soothingly. 

“You back with us, little one?” Hoseok asked, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Yugyeom’s head.

“No,” he grumbled, pressing his face against the elder witch’s chest, scrunching his face as Hoseok’s chest shook with his laughter. “Lemme sleep, hyung.”

Hoseok chuckled, patting the younger’s head before wrapping his arms around the boy to secure him to his chest, “Whatever you need, angel. You can go back to sleep. Hyung will be right here.” 

Yugyeom hummed approvingly, nuzzling his face further into the head witch’s chest as he tried to drop back off. He could hear the clan moving quietly through the house; soft clinking of plates in the kitchen, the stairs creaking quietly as someone padded down to the main level, hushed laughter echoing around the den. After a few minutes he sighed, pushing up off Hoseok’s chest shakily to look the elder in the eyes.

Hoseok smiled softly, helping the younger into a sitting position on his lap as he looked around the den. The majority of the clan were sprinkled around the room. He spotted Jimin and Youngjae sandwiching Jungkook on one of the loveseats with Bambam’s head resting on the beta’s thigh from his seat on the floor between Jungkook’s legs. Yoongi was in the recliner next to the couch, where Hoseok and Yugyeom were sitting with the rest of the witches, half asleep with his head propped up in his hand. On the other side of the room, Hyungwon was in a similar position in the other recliner, blinking heavily as he watched the younger intently. Shownu had Mark cradled in his lap, the younger wolf sniffling as he was pressed in on all sides by Wonho, Jackson, and Jaebum. On the floor in the center of the den was Changkyun, snuggled into Minhyuk’s chest as the elder wiped at the boy’s puffy, teary face as he slept. He noticed a distinct lack of Seokjin, Namjoon, and Jooheon, making him sit up slightly as he looked around for them, filled with the inescapable need to know exactly where everyone in the clan was at that moment. 

“Where—” 

Hoseok hushed him gently, tucking the younger’s head back into his chest as Kihyun reached over to rub at his back from Jinyoung’s lap. “They’re just in the kitchen, treasure. Hyung volunteered them to help him with lunch.”

Yugyeom nodded his head tiredly, looking over to Jungkook’s teary face. “ ‘m okay, Kookie,” he mumbled. 

The young wolf nodded his head, smiling through his tears as Jimin cooed. “Glad, Gyeom,” he mumbled, letting his head fall against Youngjae’s shoulder. “Hyungs took care of us.”

The witch smiled, nodding his head tiredly. “Yeah— I think we just might keep ‘em.”

The two burst into tired little giggles as the rest of the clan watched on fondly. Yeah. 

They just might. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh. I am incapable of keeping to a schedule for this story-- I just want to give it all to you guys! So have another chapter two days before I intended to release it. XD Hope you enjoyed!


	8. These Bonds that Bind Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The babies finally accept their hyungs' offers and worry over Changkyun's health grows.

Yugyeom had gotten used to his hyung’s overbearing coddling surprisingly quickly. He woke up the morning after the incident surrounded by Mark and Yoongi. The smaller men had wrapped their arms around him on either side, completely enfolding him between them. Mark was pressed to his front, tiny little puffs hitting his chest as the elder omega slept soundly against his chest. Yoongi was wrapped around his back, nuzzling the side of his neck as he watched his sleeping nestmates. 

“Good morning, precious,” he murmured, running his nose along the younger’s skin. “Did you sleep well?”

The younger nodded, cocking his head to the side to give the vampire more room to scent. “What time is it?”

“Nearly ten,” Yoongi replied, rubbing little circles into his hips. “How are you feeling.”

Yugyeom moaned. “Like I was run over by a truck. I hate Auntie’s magic so much.”

Yoongi hummed, pressing a little kiss to the younger’s neck. “You’ll never have to feel it again, treasure. Hyung took care of her.”

“Is she in pieces?” 

The elder nodded, “And we burned the bodies. They will never be able to hurt you again.” He sighed, giving Yugyeom a moment to let that knowledge sink in before continuing. “We need to know though, angel— who else from your coven is there?”

Yugyeom shook his head. “No one, hyung. I— I saw mom’s necklace— she removed dad and uncle from it. So it was just her and my aunties left.”

“Good,” Yoongi replied. “Then there’s no one left from that coven that could hurt you.”

The younger sighed shakily, burying his face in Mark’s hair. “Fuck. I— I don’t even know how to feel.”

The vampire pressed a soft kiss to the shell of his ear. “That’s okay, baby. I don’t expect you to have it all figured out. Hyungs will be here to help you though. You aren’t alone.”

Yugyeom sniffled, turning to wrap his long arms around Yoongi’s waist. Mark huffed at the disturbance, opening his eyes slowly as he sleepily took in his surroundings.

“Baby?” He asked, propping himself up to get a better look at his youngest dongsaeng. “It’s alright, angel,” he cooed, reaching forward to rub at his back softly. “Hyungs are here.”

The boy nodded into Yoongi’s chest. “I know, hyung. I’m just— I think I’m just happy.”

Yugyeom was enjoying being the gooey center of a Changkyun/Jungkook sandwich when Hoseok came into the den hesitantly. “Hello, babies,” he greeted, bending down to press a soft kiss to each of their temples. 

The wolf glanced up at Hoseok from his very coveted place against Yugyeom’s neck, “Hi, hyungie,” he replied before turning back to Yugyeom’s scent gland. 

Changkyun mumbled an incoherent greeting from his spot smooshed against Yugyeom’s other side, his face firmly pressed to the meat of the younger’s bicep making the others giggle.

“I came to fetch my pretty angels for dinner,” Hoseok sang, smiling at the three of them as he offered a hand to pull them up. 

Yugyeom sighed, reaching out to take the proffered hand and standing up. He ignored Changkyun’s little whine as he wrapped his arm around Hoseok’s waist. He heard Jungkook get up slowly before pulling their hyung along with him as the four of them made their way to the dining room. Jungkook deposited a sleepy Changkyun into Minhyuk’s arms, who happily tucked the younger against his chest, as he made his way to an open seat between Namjoon and Shownu. The wolves smiled at the younger happily, Namjoon leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek before filling his plate with lots of meats. Hoseok led Yugyeom over to an open area where the rest of the witches were tucked into one corner of the dining table. The youngest witch was eased between Taehyung and the coven head, the younger of the two quickly threading his fingers through Yugyeom’s once he was seated.

He quickly began to eat as Taehyung began to chatter between bites excitedly. Apparently the witch had just perfected a spell that could change hair color at random and he wanted to enlist Yugyeom to help him practice it. He readily agreed, giggling as his hyung shot him a wide boxy smile in return. 

Minhyuk sighed from across the table, brushing back Changkyun’s hair as he stared at the younger’s glassy eyes. “Baby, you need to eat. You promised, remember? No more skipping meals. And besides, both of your babies are right over there— safe and sound.” He pressed a kiss to the younger’s temple, “So please eat.”

The younger sighed tiredly, dropping his head onto Minhyuk’s shoulder. “I’m not thirsty, hyungie. Honest. I’m just— really tired. I didn’t sleep well today.” 

Jin frowned from his seat next to them, reaching over to cup the nape of the baby’s neck. “You haven’t been sleeping well for a few weeks now, treasure. Talk to me— tell hyung what’s going on in that head of yours.”

Changkyun shrugged, leaning into the touch. “I don’t know, hyung,” he mumbled against the vampire’s sweater. “Every time I try to sleep I get like— really anxious? Like— like someone is watching me almost. I don’t know— I— I know it sounds stupid and, like, I know I’m safe, but it’s like— I don’t know.” He shrugged halfheartedly, trying to melt into Minhyuk’s chest. 

The elder rubbed his back, frown etching across his face as he made silent conversation with his clanhead above the younger’s head. “It’s okay, little one. How about hyung lays down with you after dinner, yeah? I’ll keep all of the monsters away from my precious Kkukkungie.”

The fledgling hummed, rubbing his nose along the skin of the elder’s neck. “Okay, hyung.”

Minhyuk reached up, slicing a small section of his neck with his fingernail. “You need to eat though, precious. Please? For hyung?” At the younger’s unhappy face he sighed, petting Changkyun’s hair. “Just a bite?” 

The younger seemed to think about it for a moment before slowly nodding his head, tucking his face into the elder’s neck and beginning to drink.

“Is hyung okay?” Jungkook asked, peering around Shownu to get a closer look at his vampire hyung.

Seokjin worried his lower lip, carefully pushing back the baby’s hair to watch him drink. “I’m sure he’s fine, treasure. It’s been a stressful week.”

Jungkook nodded, slowly relaxing back in his seat to continue eating. Namjoon took that as his cue to wrap his arm around the younger’s shoulders, tucking him into his side as he refilled his plate. 

After everyone was finished eating, Jin and Minhyuk took a dazed Changkyun upstairs, waving to the rest of the clan as they went. The rest of them dispersed in small groups; Jimin dragged Youngjae and Bambam to the game room, a sleepy Hyungwon coerced an equally sleepy Yoongi over to one of the large bay window seats for a late evening cuddle, and the wolves all went out to the backyard to release some pent up energy in the last dredges of the setting sun. This left the small gaggle of witches still sitting at their corner of the dining table. 

Hoseok brought his hand out, placing it gently on the table in front of Yugyeom, palm up. The youngest frowned at the proffered hand for a moment before clasping it with his own. The head witch smiled, slowly tipping his hand over so that the inside of Yugyeom’s wrist was facing upwards. He brought his free hand up to stroke a finger across the scarred wrist, tracing the leftover bits of Yugyeom’s old coven mark.

The younger couldn’t help the flinch that coursed through his body at the touch, forcing himself not to jerk away completely from the coven head. “S— sorry, hyung,” he whispered, focused on where Hoseok was still determinedly touching his scarred wrist despite the illicitness of the action. A coven mark was a very personal, intimate thing. Touching a mark outside of your own coven’s was seen as taboo and a mark that had been burned over was seen as shameful to touch. It was believed that touching the mark of someone who had been cast out doomed the other person to the same fate. The burn scar was also incredibly sensitive. Any touch to it felt like ten thousand needles across his skin. 

The head witch frowned, carefully lifting his fingers off of the mark and letting them hover over the top of it. “Yugyeom-ah,” he started, keeping his voice low as he finally looked up to make eye contact with the younger. “We— we love you so much. The second I met you I knew I wanted to keep you close for the rest of eternity. You’re such a sweet, intelligent, and talented young witch and— I can’t imagine completing our circle with anyone else.”

Yugyeom’s eyes widened, staring at Hoseok in disbelief. “You—  _ what _ ?”

Kihyun huffed, moving to sit cross legged on the table so that he was directly in front of the youngest witch. “We want you, Yugyeom. In our circle, in our coven, in our lives. We want to claim you as ours so that no other coven could even dream of touching you like that again.” He leaned forward to cup the younger’s cheeks. “We want to share our magic with you. And expand your abilities with our own. We want anything and everything you’re willing to give us and we want to give you the same in return.”

The younger stared at his hyung in shock, slowly turning to find similarly hopeful expressions on the rest of the coven’s faces. “Isn’t— Isn’t Jin-hyung your fifth?”

Hoseok smiled, rubbing the boy’s forearm soothingly. “He’s a vampire, angel. He may have started out as a witch and he may have some latent ancient magic but he’s a vampire first and foremost.”

“Also,” Jinyoung added, “Hyung is so old that he wouldn’t need a coven even if he was still a witch.”

That dragged some snorts out of the younger boys as they relaxed a bit from their tense positions. 

“I— If you’re serious. I would— I mean— I have to talk with Kookie and Kyunnie-hyung first but—  _ yes _ ,” he replied, trying to ignore the misty quality his eyes had taken on. The boys cheered around him, surrounding him from all angles with their hugs. 

Hoseok pulled the younger into his chest, giggling madly as he pressed kisses into his hair. “Thank you, baby. Thank you. Oh— we’ll take  _ such _ good care of you.”

Yugyeom smiled widely, loving the feeling of being surrounded by his hyungs before he frowned. “I need to make sure the other two are okay with it first though, hyung. I can’t— I can’t do it without their okay— no matter how much I want it.”

Taehyung smiled serenely, pinching his cheeks. “We know, sweetheart. We were expecting that to be the case. We’d never want to do anything that hurt any one of you.”

The younger smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to Taehyung’s cheek softly. “Thank you, hyungs.”

Yugyeom dragged a sleepy Changkyun into Jungkook’s room the following morning. The vampire was still rubbing at his eyes tiredly as the younger pushed him onto the bed. Jugnkook grunted, slowly sitting up as the elder fell on top of him. Changkyun moaned, turning to bury his face into the wolf’s chest. 

The witch groaned, flopping down on the bed dramatically as he rolled his head to glare at his packmate. “Come on, hyungie.  _ Wake up _ . I have exciting news!” He bounced next to the other two, grinning widely as he watched the other two slowly shift into sitting positions. 

“Okay, Gyeomie,” Jungkook stated a few minutes later once the two were significantly less sleepy. “What's up?”

He bit his lip, suddenly nervous to tell his packmates. “I— Hoseok-hyung invited me to join their coven.”

Jungkook’s eyes widened, beaming at his same-aged friend. “That’s amazing, Yugyeomie! I’m so happy for you!”

Yugyeom smiled, suddenly shy as he stared at the other two. “Thanks, Kookie, but— I wanted to make sure it was okay with both of you before I took their mark. I won’t— I won’t do it if either of you are against it.” He pointedly looked at Changkyun who was staring down at the bed sheets deep in thought. 

The eldest looked up, feeling his gaze. “I’m happy for you, Gyeom-ah— really. If this is what you want then I support you.” He shot the younger a wobbly smile. “Hyung just wants you to be happy.”

“I’ll only be happy if you’re happy, hyungie.”

Changkyun’s eyes went soft, leaning forward to cup the younger’s cheeks. “I  _ love _ you, Yugyeom. You’re  _ mine _ . And you’ll still be mine even if you join the coven.” He rubbed the pad of his thumbs against the younger’s skin lovingly. “I think the coven would be good for you, baby.” The witch burst into tears, sobs tearing through his chest as he threw himself onto his hyung in a tight hug. Changkyun cooed, wrapping his small arms around his dongsaeng tightly. “You deserve the best, my love.”

“You’d— you’d really be okay with me joining the coven?” He asked, tucking his head down into Changkyun’s chest.

“If it makes you happy— and I’m positive it would— then yes,” he assured, using his fingers to brush back the younger’s hair. 

Jungkook scooted over, wrapping his arms around the both of them. He carefully pulled Yugyeom’s wrist from where it was tucked around Changkyun to hold it gently between them all. “You’d look pretty— with their coven mark,” he murmured, tracing the scar with his eyes. It was silent for a few minutes before Jungkook took a deep breath, gearing himself up. “Shownu-hyung asked me to join the pack,” he whispered as he held his body taut. “Back at the full moon.”

The two boys froze, slowly turning to face the wolf. “And— you didn’t  _ say _ anything?” Yugyeom asked. 

The boy shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. “It wasn’t a good time. I told hyung I wasn’t ready. I wanted to be sure that you both were okay with me joining them before I even considered it.”

“That was my fault,” Changkyun whispered. “Because I freaked out. You— you turned them down because of me.”

Jungkook pulled the elder closer to his chest, rocking him slightly as he exclaimed, “ _ No _ , hyung. I turned alpha down because it wasn’t a good time for any of us.”

“Are you going to accept the bite, now?” Yugyeom asked, pressing himself against Changkyun’s back. 

He reached up, rubbing at his shoulder where his old scarred-over pack mark rested. “Only if you’re both completely okay with it.”

Yugyeom sighed, reaching over to brush his fingers along Jungkook’s cheek. “Are  _ you _ okay with it?”

Jungkook nodded shakily. “I— I  _ really _ am, Gyeomie. I want this. I want to be a part of the pack and I want you to be a part of the coven. And— and I just— I want for us all to be a part of the clan already.” He took a deep, shuddery breath. “I can’t believe we— they’re—” 

“That we lucked out? Finding the best hyungs on the planet to call ours?” Yugyeom cooed, rubbing his nose along Changkyun’s neck. “First we find Kyunnie-hyung and then he brings home even  _ more _ kind hyungs who take  _ us _ home.” He giggled, nipping gently at the elder’s skin to make him laugh. “The fact that this could be our forever? Kind of blows my mind.”

“I want you guys to be happy,” Changkyun murmured, nuzzling close to Jungkook. “If this is what you want, then I want it for you too.” 

Jungkook smiled, nipping at the elder fondly. “When Seokjin-hyung finally offers to sire you, will you accept it?”

“What?” Changkyun sputtered. 

“You really think hyung doesn’t have some, like, extravagant, over-the-top plan to ask you?” The wolf teased. 

Yugyeom giggled, “Yeah, hyung. You know Jin-hyung absolutely adores you. I’m surprised he didn’t try to claim you the first time he came to the church.”

Jungkook rolled his eyes. “He did try to bring us home with us that first day though.”

“That’s because you two are too cute to pass up,” Changkyun mumbled, smiling into the younger’s chest.

The three fell into giggles, laying back down on the bed in a tangle of limbs. They laid there for close to an hour before Changkyun began rubbing his teeth along Jungkook’s neck. Jungkook cooed, fluffing the elder’s hair. “Is hyungie hungry?” He asked, reaching up to open his neck for him.

Changkyun shook his head, tilting his head to pout at the younger petulantly. “I want cookies.”

Jungkook snorted, sitting up with the elder firmly in his lap. He took Yugyeom’s proffered hand as he got out of the bed, tucking his hands underneath Changkyun’s butt to keep him secure as they made their way downstairs. “Chocolate chip or molasses?”

“Chocolate chip,” he mumbled, burying his face in Jungkook’s neck as the wolf entered the den. 

He walked over to where Jin was curled up underneath Shownu’s arm. The clanhead smiled fondly, reaching up to place a gentle hand on Changkyun’s back. “Hello, babies,” he murmured, sitting up slightly. “To what do we owe this pleasure? I thought the three of you would be sequestered in your room for the day.”

“Hyung is hungry,” Jungkook explained, smirking as he felt Changkyun try to hide himself further into the young wolf. “Said he wanted chocolate chip cookies.”

A wide smile spread across Seokjin’s face as he opened his arms, sitting up slightly to accept Changkyun into his lap. He cooed softly when the younger vampire immediately latched onto his neck, biting down softly. “Such a sweet boy,” he murmured, petting the younger’s hair as he drank from his hyung. 

Shownu opened his arms for Jungkook who immediately took the invitation and plopped himself onto the elder’s lap, cuddling in close as he was enveloped by Shownu’s peppermint scent. “Hi, baby,” he whispered against the younger’s hair. 

“Hi, alpha,” the younger replied, rubbing his cheek against Shownu’s neck to press some of his vanilla into the elder’s skin. 

“How was your morning? I heard Yugyeom wake you two up pretty early.”

Jungkook nodded, smiling over to the young witch who had made himself comfortable in Jinyoung’s lap on the other couch. “Yeah, Gyeomie had some good news.”

Shownu smiled knowingly. “Oh yeah?”

The younger hummed, smiling against the alpha’s skin. “Yeah— hyung?” 

“What is it Jungkookie?” Shownu asked, squeezing the beta’s hips fondly. “You can ask hyung anything.”

“Is—” Jungkook took a deep breath, sitting up so that he could look the elder in the eyes. “Is your offer still— still open? To, uh— join the pack?”

Shownu’s eyes widened before his face was split in half with the force of his smile. He pulled Jungkook into his chest, tucking the younger’s head under his own as he rocked him gently. “Of course it is, pup. Are— are you ready?”

Jungkook nodded his head, looking first to where Yugyeom was shooting him a thumbs up and then to Changkyun who pulled away from Jin just long enough to nod his head fondly before ducking back down into the elder’s neck. “I— I would love to join your pack, alpha.”

A series of excited squeals sounded from around the den as Wonho, Jooheon, and Bambam all ran over to the other two to smother the maknae in excited kisses. Jungkook giggled as he was pulled out of Shownu’s lap, landing in a heap on the floor with the other wolves. Wonho had his arms wrapped around him as he held the younger on top of his chest, smacking wet kisses on any area of the boy’s face he could reach. It didn’t take long for the rest of the wolves in the clan to join them on the floor, making a ruckus as they all tried to get a piece of the youngest. 

Jungkook was giggling like mad, half-heartedly trying to escape the alpha’s grip as he was covered in kisses by the three omegas. He caught sight of Namjoon, sitting near the edge of the pile, smiling widely at the younger. “Hyung,” he cried, “Save me.” He reached out a hand for the elder who pretended to deliberate for a moment before standing up and pulling him from the pile despite the other wolves’ protests. He squealed as he was pulled away, latching onto the other beta who quickly sat back down with Jungkook securely in his lap. “Thank you, hyung,” he whispered breathlessly. Jungkook wrapped his arms around Namjoon’s neck, humming as the elder scented him. 

“Can we do it now?” Bambam asked, bouncing excitedly on Wonho’s chest. The alpha grunted, reaching up to grip the younger tightly as he sat up, quickly being surrounded by the omegas as they looked over to Shownu hopefully.

“If Kookie is ready,” Shownu replied, moving to sit on the floor in front of Jungkook and Namjoon. He reached up, gently brushing the boy’s bangs back. 

The younger bit his lip, looking over to Yugyeom and Changkyun who both gave him a positive nod. “Yeah— I’d like that a lot, alpha,” he whispered.

Shownu beamed, pulling Jungkook back into his arms. “Okay, pup.” He pressed a kiss to Jungkook’s shoulder where his old pack scar was. “Do you know how a pack claim is done?”

He shook his head, “No, hyung. My first pack never took in any new wolves when I was growing up.”

“It’s quite simple,” he explained, pressing a soft kiss to the scar. “As the head alpha, I bite you here. This opens the invitation. Then each member of the pack will bite you on top of mine to accept you. Once everyone has accepted you into the pack, you’ll bite me here,” he pulled down his shirt to show a series of overlapping bite marks over his heart. “To accept us in return. Finally, I seal the bond with another bite.” He dragged his teeth along Jungkook’s skin gently. “Then you’ll be ours. How does that sound?”

Jungkook nodded his head, grinning excitedly, “That sounds perfect.”

“Alright,” Shownu rumbled, smiling into the younger’s skin. “I’m going to start. It’s going to be intense but we’ll all be right here with you.” The elder took a deep steadying breath before dropping his fangs and biting into the meat of Jungkook’s shoulder. The boy gasped, hands automatically dropping down to clutch tightly to Shownu’s knees on either side of him as he was filled with emotions that weren’t entirely his own. He felt nervousness, and anticipation, and so, so much affection he thought he was going to drown in it. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls, Shownu’s low voice in his ear a million miles away. “Youngest omega first— Jooheon-ah.” 

Jungkook’s senses were filled with hot chocolate as the youngest omega knelt down in front of him. He could just barely make out the boy’s wide excited smile before he leaned forward to bite down on top of Shownu’s. He gasped again, unintentionally closing his eyes as he felt excitement thread through his veins. Jooheon pulled back, cheekily pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose before pulling back. 

Bambam crowded in close, booping Jungkook’s nose once to get him to open his eyes before bending down to sink his teeth into the maknae. Jungkook’s breathing was coming in ragged breaths by the time they got through to Wonho. The elder smiled softly, taking a moment to brush back the baby’s sweaty bangs. 

“You’re doing so well for hyungs, treasure,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to Jungkook’s cheek. “Just a bit longer. You’re so good, baby.” He bent down, pressing his teeth firmly into the swollen skin. 

Jungkook moaned, vision flickering as he was encompassed with another set of emotions. Wonho pulled back, smiling at the younger’s blissed out face as he sat back against Jaebum’s chest. 

“Your turn pup,” Shownu whispered, helping Jungkook shift in his lap so that he could reach the alpha’s chest. The elder pulled down his shirt as he cupped the back of Jungkook’s neck to help guide him. The wolves sucked in a breath simultaneously as Jungkook bit down, opening his side of the connection to the rest of the pack. “Such a sweet boy, Kookie,” Shownu praised as he was filled with the maknae’s emotions. “So happy to finally call you mine.” He tucked Jungkook into his chest, biting down once more on top of the rest of the pack’s bites to seal the connection. 

Slowly the emotions began to muffle into background noise. Jungkook moaned, pressing close to his alpha as the cotton effect finally faded, replacing itself with a sharp stinging headache. “Alpha,” he whimpered, dragging his nose along Shownu’s neck.

“I know, baby,” he murmured, rubbing the younger’s back. “You did so well for alpha. Why don’t we all go lay down, huh? A little rest and you’ll feel better.”

Jungkook nodded, wrapping his arms around the elder’s neck as he picked him up. “Thank you, alpha,” he whispered, letting himself drop off to sleep, knowing he was safe in Shownu’s arms. 

“Wow,” Yugyeom mumbled after the wolves had all left the den. “Joining the coven won’t be that intense, right?”

Hoseok whipped his head around to stare wide-eyed at the baby. “Are— are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

Yugyeom nodded slowly, looking down at his hands bashfully. “Yeah— we all talked and— I’d really like to join your coven.”

Taehyung squealed, leaning over Kihyun to wrap his arms around the youngest. “Oh! Can we do it now, hyung? Please? I want Gyeomie so badly.”

“If Gyeom-ah is ready,” Hoseok placated, smiling softly. 

“Please,” the youngest replied, making eye contact with the head witch imploringly. 

Hoseok nodded, smiling widely. “Okay, baby. Let’s go to the altar room. We have everything set up in there.”

Yugyeom cocked his head in confusion. “How did you know I’d accept so quickly?”

Kihyun laughed, leaning back against the couch, “He didn’t. This lovesick fool has had the preparations for this since he met you.” 

“Really, hyung?” He asked, astonished. 

“I couldn’t help it, Gyeom,” Hoseok replied, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he stood up. “You’re perfect for us.”

The rest of the witches nodded their heads in agreement as they all stood up. Jinyoung kept his arms around Yugyeom, making the younger yelp as his feet left the ground when the elder stood up. He happily began frog-marching Yugyeom into the altar room, making the youngest giggle. 

“Wait,” he called, wiggling out of Jinyoung’s hold to skitter over to Changkyun. “Hyungie?” He asked. Jin smiled up at him, pushing the younger’s hair back so that he could see that his hyung was sound asleep. “Ah, thanks, hyung.” He leaned down, pressing a kiss to the youngest vampire’s cheek, making him scrunch his nose cutely. “Have a good nap, hyungie.”

He skipped back over to Jinyoung, lacing his fingers with the other’s as they made their way to the altar room. Yugyeom had been in the room a few times before since moving in with the clan and he still could not get over how different it was in comparison to the altar room his coven had growing up. The room was painted a muted gray and was filled to the brim with soft, colorful blankets and pillows scattered across the floor in a loose circle surrounding a low seafoam green table engraved with wards, protections, and healing enchants. He squatted down to trace his fingers across a small etching protection symbol he had made on the table top. Yugyeom liked seeing bits of himself in their altar room and he couldn’t wait to place more of them. 

Hoseok hummed as he pulled out a small box from the cherry armoire on the far wall. He walked it over to the table, sitting down on one side of it and gesturing to the space on the opposite side to him. Kihyun and Jinyoung took their places on either side of Hoseok while Taehyung sat between Jinyoung and Yugyeom. Taehyung wiggled happily, threading his fingers through the youngest’s as he turned his attention to Hoseok. The head witch smiled fondly pulling out a candle stick that was nearly completely used up and a stick of charcoal. 

“This is our coven’s flame, Yugyeom,” He explained, lighting the candle with his magic and carefully placing it on the right hand side of the table. “It is the source that binds our magics together as one as it will bind us to you as well.” He brought the inside of his wrist to rest overtop the candle, letting the flame gently lick at his mark. The black of the mark glowed white as he took it off the heat. Each of the other witches took their turn to light their marks on fire as well. Hoseok smiled, holding out his hand for Yugyeom’s wrist who willingly rested it in his palm. “Our flame will cleanse your body of your old coven mark in preparation for ours.” He led Yugyeom’s wrist to rest over the flame, the heat a warm caress against his skin as the fire melted the scar until it faded into smooth skin. 

Yugyeom couldn’t help the tiny, “ _ Wow _ ,” he let slip past his lips as he watched his skin smooth out. 

Hoseok smiled fondly, pulling the younger’s wrist off of the flame and gently placing it palm up on the table next to the candle. Jinyoung picked up the charcoal stick, leaning forward to reach the younger’s skin. He drew a perfect heptagon on the flat of his wrist before handing it to Kihyun who made an intricate ‘X’ inside of the shape. He then handed it to Taehyung who drew a trapezoid on the left side of the X and then passed it to Hoseok who did the same on the right. The head witch pulled back smiling at the coven’s handiwork; they had replicated their coven symbol perfectly on the youngest witch’s wrist. 

He took Yugyeom’s wrist again, bringing it back over the flame. “With this, we seal our fate,” Hoseok intoned, smiling at Yugyeom as his eyes glowed a soft yellow. The other three brought their glowing wrists to stack on top of Yugyeom’s as the fire sealed the symbol into his skin. 

The youngest gasped as the rest of the coven’s magic flowed through his body. “ _ Oh _ ,” he murmured, closing his eyes. “It’s so  _ warm _ .” 

Kihyun snorted, “Well, what did you expect? All light magic is warm.”

“I’ve never felt another person’s light magic before. Black magic is so  _ cold _ in comparison.”

Taehyung smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to the younger’s cheek as they all pulled their hands back from the stack. “Good thing you’ll never have to feel that again.”

Yugyeom smiled, looking down at his new coven mark. From the corner of his peripherals, he caught sight of the puddle of wax on the table that had just held the coven flame. “Hyungs,” he gasped, “The candle.”

“It’s okay, Yugyeom,” Hoseok reassured. “The candle did what it was supposed to. It was created so that we could form our circle. You’re our last piece and now our circle is complete. The coven’s flame rests in each of us now.”

“Oh,” he breathed, closing his eyes as each of the witch’s magics brushed over him in soft caresses. “That’s good then.”

“It’s the best,” Jinyoung confirmed, shooting the youngest a blinding smile. 

Kihyun stood up, using his magic to levitate the altar table to the side of the room as Jinyoung rearranged the pillows to cover the empty space it had made. The second youngest witch giggled as he collapsed back on the cushions, dragging Yugyeom with him. 

“What happens now?” The baby asked, tucking his head onto Taehyung’s chest who immediately began petting his hair. 

“Now,” Hoseok began, running his fingers along their newest covenmate’s back. “We sleep. Our magic needs time to intertwine.” He laid down next to the youngest, opening his arms for Kihyun and Jinyoung to press in close. “Our magic is going to knock us out in a few minutes.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Kihyun’s head. “Sweet dreams, my babies.”

Yugyeom smiled, closing his eyes against Taehyung’s chest as he let sleep take him.

In the den, Jin hummed worriedly as he stared down at the baby still sleeping in his arms. 

“Kyunnie’s been sleeping a lot lately,” Hyungwon whispered, chewing on his lip as he eyed the younger vampire. “Do you think he’s alright?”

Seokjin sighed, brushing back Changkyun’s hair. “I’m not sure. I thought— maybe it was stress, at first, but he’s just gotten worse.” He pressed a kiss to the younger’s forehead. “At least he ate willingly today.”

Minhyuk frowned, moving to kneel in front of the clanhead so that he could examine the maknae more closely. “Yeah but he should be starving at this point, hyung,” he pointed out. “Kyunnie has been eating, at max, two times a day and never enough. Aren’t you afraid he's going to go into bloodlust?”

“Yes but— I don’t know what to do,” Jin admitted, closing his eyes so he wouldn’t have to face his clan’s bewildered expressions. “I— I don’t know how to help him.” He sniffled, pressing his face into Changkyun’s hair to hide his tears. 

“If—” Yoongi stuttered, looking very uncomfortable. “I— I don’t want to say this, but— what if we thralled him?” He closed his eyes at the gasps around him. “I don’t want to but— but he’s not  _ eating _ . And— if we thrall him, we could get him to eat.”

Seokjin growled, tucking Changkyun closer to his chest. “We are not thralling him without his consent— or— or at least Jungkook-ah and Yugyeom-ah have to agree to it first— I can’t— We can’t break the trust we’ve built with them.”

Yoongi raised his hands up defensively. “It was just an idea, hyung. I never said I wanted to do it either.” 

The elder released a shuddering breath, nodding his head. “I know you meant well, Yoongi-yah. I just— I don’t want to force him to do something if I don’t have to. The poor kid has had enough of his life taken from his control.”

“I understand that, hyung,” Jimin replied, frowning at the elder. “But Yoongi-hyung has a point. I think it might be a good idea. He’s probably been sleeping more because he has no energy because he’s not eating. Just— maybe just a few meals? Just enough to get him back to good health?”

Jin sighed, looking up at the rest of the vampires. “What do you think? Youngjae-ah?”

Youngjae frowned, looking down at his hands for being called out. “I know— if I had been sick like this— I would have wanted you to thrall me to eat if I couldn’t do it myself.” Minhyuk nodded his head in agreement moving back to clasp his hand with the younger supportively. 

“You all think the same?” Jin asked, looking each vampire in the eyes. “What about Kookie and Gyeom?”

“If we wait for them to wake up to get their permission, it might be too late,” Yoongi argued. “He’s got to be getting close to bloodlust, hyung. I think they’d both forgive you for saving their hyung.”

“Just enough to get him to eat, hyung,” Hyungwon reassured. “That’s all— you’re just helping him eat.”

Seokjin nodded reluctantly, looking down at the sleeping vampire as he swallowed thickly. “Changkyun-ah,” he cooed, letting his thrall slip into his voice. “ **It’s time to eat, little one** .”

Changkyun continued sleeping, completely unaffected by the clanhead’s thrall.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's day everyone! Hope you enjoyed a little bit of fluff before the storm ;)


	9. The Sire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally find out what's going on with Changkyun.

Seokjin’s eyes widened, staring down at the baby in shock. “What?”

“Hyung?” Jimin asked, cocking his head in confusion. “What just happened?”

“Nothing,” the clanhead answered, completely baffled. “I— that should have thralled him. But—”

Minhyuk sucked in a breath, “He’s already thralled.”

“By  _ who _ ?” Youngjae exclaimed, standing up as he began pacing, hands pulling at this hair in distress. “He hasn’t left our territory in weeks. How could someone have possibly thralled him?”

The clan was silent as they tried to figure out how their baby got thralled under their watch. Yoongi stood up, rubbing at his mating mark as he tried to piece it together. “His sire. Hyung— his sire would have the ability to thrall him without his voice. Do you remember? You called me back to you when I tried to sneak away when I was a fledgling.”

Seokjin swore, eyes widening as he stared down at his baby. “I’ll kill him,” he growled. "Why now? Why leave him for the sun only to—” He brushed trembling fingers through the boy’s hair. "Who does he think he is?"

"His sire, hyung," Yoongi whispered. "He— Kyun-ah is his by blood rite."

"Like hell that psycho is taking my baby from me," Seokjin growled. 

"How long do you think he's been under thrall?" Jimin asked tentatively.

Yoongi sat back down, shaking his head as he pulled the younger into his lap. "We should wake him up."

Jin shook his head. "Let's let him sleep. As long as he’s under thrall, he won’t fall into bloodlust. We need Kihyun to look through his mind anyway and they're still in the altar room. Waking him up would just let his sire know that we know." 

The den was filled with tense silence as they sat in worry. Minhyuk was sitting on the love seat, Youngjae and Hyungwon under either of his arms as he fidgeted nervously. The soft moonlight trickled in through the open windows, cool night air brushing their skin as it breezed in deceivingly calm for the tense atmosphere. 

“Hyung,” Hyungwon whispered, pressing his mouth into Minhyuk’s neck as he spoke. “What are we going to do if his sire comes to collect?”

The clanhead growled, tangling his fingers in the baby’s hair possessively. “That monster can go to hell. He’s not touching my baby.”

Minhyuk nodded fiercely, “How are we going to stop them?”

“We need to draw him out,” Yoongi interjected. “Get him to slip up— come to us.”

Jin hummed, taking a deep breath as he added, “We’ll have to be careful with what we say when Kyun-ah is awake— a sire can backseat their fledging’s senses when they have them in thrall. It’s  _ meant _ to help the sire keep their charge safe. ”

The vampires around him nodded seriously, all eyes on their baby fledgling as he continued to sleep soundly against their clanhead. With no way of feeding their very hungry baby, the men settled in to wait in tense silence for the rest of the clan to wake.

It was nearing four in the morning when Changkyun finally began to stir. He mouthed sleepily at Seokjin’s neck for a few minutes before pulling back, looking up at his hyung in confusion. “Hyung?” He asked, shifting to put his head back down on the elder’s shoulder. “Why are we still in the den? You usually move us to one of the bedrooms when I fall asleep on you.”

Jin cooed, pressing a kiss into the younger’s hair as he schooled his expression into one of adoration. “Sorry, angel. Are you uncomfortable? Hyungs got distracted talking.”

Changkyun shook his head, “Hyung is comfy. ‘M just cold.”

The elder’s bit their lips from voicing their worries; a cold vampire was never a good sign. It was usually a sign of bloodlust setting in. 

“Why don’t you come have some coffee to warm you up then, little one,” Hyungwon suggested, sitting up slightly in the elder’s arms so that he could open himself for the baby. 

Changkyun giggled, smiling as he stood up. He didn’t make it two steps before his knees gave out and he collapsed to the soft rug below. “Treasure?” Jin fretted, dropping down next to the younger. “Baby, what happened?”

“I don’t— I’m fine, hyung. Just— just lost my balance.” Changkyun stood carefully, shaking his head. 

The elder wrapped his arm around the fledgling, leading him over to the love seat where he deposited him into Hyungown’s lap. He crouched down in front of Changkyun, examining his baby closely. “Are you thirsty, my love?”

He shook his head, frowning slightly. “No, hyung. ‘M just— just cold. And— my head’s a little fuzzy. Like when I was human and I had to go a few days between sleeping.” Changkyun heard the hyungs around him all suck in a surprised breath nearly in unison at the younger’s confession. “It wasn’t as bad as you think, hyungs,” he tried to reassure. 

“Oh, I’m sure it was,” Yoongi muttered, “but that’s a discussion for another day— when you’re feeling better.”

“Do— do you know what’s wrong with me, hyung?” He asked, furrowing his brows as he fidgeted nervously. 

Jin smiled reassuringly, cupping the baby’s cheeks in the palms of his hands as he looked into the younger’s eyes. “I do baby, and what I’m going to say next isn’t for you, okay? Hyung loves you very much.” At Changkyun’s confused nod, his smile melted off his face as he allowed his ancient vampire persona to mold his features into something not many would be foolish enough to trifle with. “This fledgling is mine. Drop your thrall on him and leave or come meet your demise at my  _ very  _ willing hand but stop hurting my childe for your amusement or I will grant you a fate worse than death.”

Changkyun’s eyes widened in terror, confusion evident, before his expression suddenly turned stoic. “I turned him,” he intoned emotionlessly, looking blankly just over Jin’s left shoulder. “By right, he is my childe— not yours. And I am coming to collect.”

“You lost all right to him when you left him for the sun,” the clanhead growled, clenching his fists tightly in his lap. 

“The fledgling is more resourceful than I had anticipated,” Changkyun’s sire replied through him. “He will be useful.”

Yoongi hissed, leaning forward to glare harshly at his baby. “Like hell he’s going with you. Just try it, you sick fuck.”

Changkyun let out a dark, emotionless chuckle. “I’m already here.” The boy stood up, taking slow measured steps towards the door to the den.

“Oh no you don’t,” Jin growled, running over to pick the thralled boy up by his waist, taking his feet off of the floor completely. “You’re not taking him.” The doorbell rang, echoing through the otherwise silent house. Seokjin cursed, struggling to keep a tight hold on the wiggling fledgling in his grip. “Jimin-ah, go get the wolves. Hyungwon, see if you can raise the coven.” The two boys ran to do as they were told as Minhyuk came over to help hold Changkyun down. “ _ Fuck.  _ That bastard waited until two thirds of our clan was out for the count.  _ Fucking coward. _ ”

The doorbell rang again just as Shownu came charging down the stairs in just a pair of joggers, Wonho and Jaebum close behind him equally as rumpled but fully on alert. The alpha’s eyes were wide in terror as they took in the scene in front of them. “What’s going on, Jin?” the pack alpha asked, coming over to cup Changkyun’s cheeks who was now growling like a rabid dog. “What’s wrong with the baby?”

“His sire’s thralled him— and he’s come to collect,” the clanhead explained, releasing a string of curses as Changkyun dug his fangs into the elder’s forearm and pulled. 

Shownu released an animalistic growl, stalking towards the door only to throw it open and yank the vampire through their home’s threshold. “Release him,” he snarled, shaking the vampire’s front. 

The stranger smirked, his small, lithe stature much too calm in the face of a giant, raging alpha wolf. “I don’t think you want me to do that,” he sang, looking over to where Changkyun had stopped thrashing and was just lying limp in Seokjin’s and Minhyuk’s hold completely silent. 

The clanhead passed the still boy over fully to the other vampire, Wonho quickly taking up the fledgling’s other side in case he began to struggle again. “What the fuck do you mean by that?”

Changkyun’s sire laughed, “I’ve had my childe under my thrall for weeks— working him into a bloodlust. The only thing keeping him from turning feral is my hold on him. So I can release my hold, but then your newest little toy will succumb to the thirst. Would you like me to release him?”

Jin growled, jumping towards the sire instinctively before halting and taking a step back. He couldn’t kill him yet, not while his baby was still on the precipice of bloodlust. The clanhead knew he had to act quickly; the sire could pull out of Changkyun at any moment and send the little one into an irreversible bloodrage and he was  _ not _ losing his baby. He closed his eyes, feigning defeat as he plotted, “What do you want?”

“What do you think I want?” The sire chuckled humorlessly. “I want what is mine.”

The eldest pretended to think before he nodded his head reluctantly, making sure he was standing in Changkyun’s path to the sire. “Promise me you won’t hurt him.” He heard the outraged shouts from the clan around him, knowing their hearts were breaking along with his. He’d have a lot to make up for in the coming months. 

The stranger smirked. “I give you my word.”

He took a deep, shaky breath, opening his eyes to look at Minhyuk and Wonho’s terrified faces. “Let him go,” he whispered.

“Hyung! No!” Wonho shouted, tears streaming down his face as he stared at his hyung in abject horror.

“There’s nothing we can do, Wonho-ya,” he replied emotionlessly. “I kill his sire, and Kyun-ah falls into bloodlust. I refuse to give him over, and he releases his thrall and Kyun-ah falls into bloodlust. There’s no option where we keep Kyun-ah and not kill him in the process. This— this is our only option.” He turned away, not wanting to see his dongsaengs’ looks of betrayal. “Please— don’t make this more difficult for me, angels. Let our baby go.”

The sire’s smirk widened, puffing up his chest in Shownu’s hold. Jin heard the boys moving away from Changkyun and then the younger’s zombified, clunky footsteps as he made his way across the floor of the den towards his sire. Right past Seokjin.

He reached out, snatching the fledgling before anyone could react and sinking his teeth into the nape of the younger’s neck. There were gasps around the room, frantic shuffling as his coven realized what he had done and moved to secure the sire despite his enraged protests. Jin’s senses were immediately flooded with  _ ChangkyunChangkyunChangkyun _ and he closed his eyes at the boy’s frantic thoughts as they charged through his head like a steam roller. The most prominent of which was  _ I’m so thirsty. Everything hurts. Oh my god, I’m going to die _ . 

_ You’re safe, my love.  _ He cooed through their bond.  _ Hyung’s got you now.  _ **_Go to sleep_ ** **.**

Changkyun tipped forward in his hold, only being held up the elder’s arms and teeth. Seokjin released his neck, picking up his childe to deposit him in Youngjae’s arms who had been standing worriedly in the back of the den. “Hold him for me, little one,” he murmured, petting back the slightly older fledgling’s hair before stalking over to a much more frantic ex-sire. “You didn’t really think I would hand over one of my own, did you? Do you know who I am, pea-brain? How stupid you must be to think you can mess with my clan. I am going to tear you limb from limb for trying to hurt one of mine.” He looked over to Shownu his face softening. “Let’s move this to the backyard, love. I don’t want the mess inside.” 

The alpha nodded solemnly, dragging the now-violently thrashing vampire towards the backdoor. Jaebum, Yoongi, and Minhyuk stalked behind, each visibly shaking in anger. 

“Are the rest of the pups staying upstairs?” Jin asked conversationally as he opened the door and led the procession to the backyard.

Jaebum nodded his head, “Yes, hyung. Namjoon-ah and Jackson-ah are holding them down. Jungkook-ah is being the most difficult about that decision.”

“That’s hardly surprising,” he joked lightly, smiling softly as he casually rolled up his sleeves. “You can let them come down to the den— they can watch from the window if they’d like. However, the first pup that steps outside before I’m finished with this abomination will go over my knee.” The wolf nodded again, staring off blankly for a moment before blinking back.

There was a scrambling clatter as the backdoor opened and shut, Hoseok tripping over himself as he made his way over to the group. 

“Hoseok-ah,” Jin called, careful of the hazy fog covering the younger’s eyes. “Go back to your coven, angel. I’m sorry for waking you. We’ve got this covered now.” Hoseok looked around blearily, foggy eyes scanning for danger, before nodding slowly, still incredibly out of it as he clambered back up the rear steps and into the house. Seokjin turned back to the struggling vampire, reaching out and snatching his arm in an inescapable grip. “Step back, angels,” he called, irises bleeding red with his magic. The rest of the clan obeyed immediately, making hasty space between themselves and their clanhead. Seokjin raised his hand that was not holding the struggling monster to create a protective globe around the two to separate them from the rest of the men in the backyard. The clanhead released the intruder once the shield was up, allowing the other to retreat to the far wall. “I would ask your name,” Seokjin stated, picking at his cuticles as he stared down the younger vampire in disdain. “But after today, it won’t matter. You chose the wrong clan to fuck with. I am Kim Seokjin, the first ancient vampire to walk this earth. I am the reason for your miserable existence. Changkyun is  _ mine _ . And you will die for trying to take him from me.”

The vampire hissed, crouching on the ground as he covered his head with his hands feebly. “I— I just wanted what was mine. You may be the reason for my existence but I am the reason that fledgling is even  _ alive _ .” The man slowly regained confidence the more he spoke, standing to face the clanhead. His petrified expression molded into one of smug determination. “Your precious ‘baby’ would have died without me. I had been hunting him for weeks. At the rate he was going he wouldn’t have survived to see his twenty-fifth. The child was dying anyways.”

“ _ You _ left him to die,” Shownu growled from outside of the globe. 

The man barked out a vicious laugh. “I would have called for him before the sun rose— probably. Not that it matters anymore, you son-of-a-bitc—” He was cut off, his face snapping to the side with the force of Jin’s punch. 

He didn’t give the vampire a moment’s reprieve before tackling him to the ground, viciously laying heavy punches to the other’s face. Jin growled, sounding more animal than human as his claws extended, tearing through the vampire’s flesh like butter. The vampire screamed, thrashing uselessly below Seokjin as he offered no reprieve. He kept his promise, after he got out his anger, he meticulously detached each of the ex-sire’s limbs from his body. A darker, older part of him, something he had thought he had long since buried, bubbled to the surface, enjoyed the screams of the man under him. At long last, when the sun had reached high above the sky and Minhyuk had retreated indoors, green in the face, he reached down and quickly removed the vampire’s head from his body. He dropped the dead weight onto the ground, the sire’s head rolling off his torso onto the grass below as he stepped back. Fire licked at his palm as he flicked the flame towards the disassembled body. The vampire burst into flames, turning to ash in less than a minute. 

As soon as the shield dropped, Yoongi staggered towards the elder, cupping his cheeks cautiously as he pressed little kisses all over Jin’s face. “Fuck, hyung,” he murmured. “I haven’t seen this side of you in a long time.” He nuzzled their noses together, shooting him a fond smile. “How are you feeling, hyung? What do you need?”

“My baby,” he bit out, falling forwards to rest his head on Yoongi’s shoulder. “ ‘m dirty though. Gotta clean up— can’t let my babies see me like this.”

“Of course, hyungie,” the younger whispered, petting his matted hair fondly. “You did so well— protected your clan perfectly.” He wrapped his arms around his sire, gently guiding him towards the back door. Inside was eerily quiet, the den blessedly empty. He shot Shownu and Jaebum a thankful nod for their forethought in letting the pack know to make the den scarce. Yoongi could hear their quiet shuffling, the wolves and vampires all in the giant pack bed while the witches were still recovering in their altar room unaware. He knew the witches were going to have a conniption when they woke up and found out what had happened while they were out of commission— Yugyeom especially.

Shownu bent down, helping Jin out of his blood and dirt covered trainers before placing a guiding hand on both of their backs, leading them upstairs and into Jin’s ensuite bathroom. Slowly, Yoongi helped the elder vampire out of his bloody clothes, dropping them in the corner to be discarded later before removing his own clothes as well. While they were preoccupied with that, the alpha turned on the shower, putting it on its hottest setting, and helped the two step over the lip of the bathtub. He left them to clean themselves, turning away to collect some towels and comfortable clothes for them to change into when they were done.

The shower helped Jin tune back into his surroundings. He shuddered against Yoongi’s shoulder as the younger dried him off, helping him into a pair of cotton sweats before setting the vampire on the foot of the bed so that he could do the same. As if on autopilot, the younger vampire plopped down on Seokjin’s lap, baring his neck for his sire who happily bit into him, taking a few shallow pulls. The drinking was more for comfort than nourishment; at Jin’s age he rarely needed to drink any form of blood at all, usually only drinking from the pack alpha a few times a month— too afraid to tire out any of his babies unless it was absolutely necessary. 

Jin pulled away, licking the small wound closed before kissing the skin in thanks. 

“What are we going to do, hyung?” Yoongi asked, petting his sire’s hair as the elder returned his cheek to the other’s shoulder as he closed his eyes in exhaustion. 

“Fuck, Yoongi,” he whispered as he bit back tears. “I don’t know what to do. This is not how I wanted to sire Changkyun-ah. But— we were so close to losing him. We  _ are _ close to losing him. He’s— he’s a breath away from falling to bloodlust and the only reason he hasn’t is because he’s not consciously having to fight it off with my thrall at work.” He took a shaking, stuttering breath, “If— if I remove the thrall we’ll lose him. I can feel him, in my mind, my baby is so scared— he has been for weeks. I don’t know how to help him.”

Yoongi pressed a kiss to Seokjin’s wet cheek, “Do you remember when we found Jimin-ah— how close to bloodlust he was? And you pulled him under, made him drink from all of us until he was so saturated that he could barely move— brought him back from the edge. We’ll do the same thing for Changkyun-ah. You’re not alone in this, hyung. You have a whole clan behind you.” He pulled back, shooting the elder a gummy smile. “Besides, it’s been too long since my baby has fed from me. I’m feeling neglected.”

Seokjin let out a fond laugh, nodding his head as he stood up with his first fledgling and made his way towards the pack bed. Shownu was waiting outside of the door for them, eyes overflowing with affection as he drank them in. 

Youngjae was still holding Changkyun with Jungkook wrapped around the youngest vampire’s free side. His head was resting in Jimin’s lap, who petted his hair softly as he stared out the window despondently, most likely lost in old, unwanted memories. Minhyuk was still looking a little green, fully wedged between Wonho’s legs, his back pressed against the alpha’s chest as Jooheon straddled his lap to nose quietly at his scent gland. Jackson and Jaebum each had one of the other omegas secured in their laps as they sat pseudo-calmly on the love seat on the wall nearest to the bed. Namjoon had squeezed himself between Youngjae and the bed frame, combing his fingers through the younger’s hair lifelessly; the beta’s nurture instincts had always been closer to the surface, so seeing one of his clanmates in need of help but not being able to give it broke his heart. 

The clanhead took a deep, unneeded breath before throwing himself into leader-mode, stepping up to the bed as everyone shifted to look up at him worriedly. “Changkyun-ah’s old sire is gone. I had to let you all think I was going to let him take our baby from us because I needed to make sure that that monster didn’t let Changkyun fall from thrall until I had him under mine but in order to do that I had to lie to all of you and let you think I was letting him go. I’m sorry— so incredibly sorry— for deceiving you.” He bowed lowly despite his clan's protests that he had done nothing wrong.

"Is he going to wake up now, hyung?"Jungkook asked.

Jin shook his head staring at the pup sadly, "No, baby. We'll need to keep him under for a little while longer. If I release him from thrall he'll fall into bloodlust."

"What does that  _ mean _ , Jin-hyung?" Jungkook asked, scrunching his nose suspiciously. 

Jimin sighed, brushing back the younger’s bangs. “It means he’s feral and as soon as hyung releases him, he’ll lose all sense of humanity. The only thing stopping him is his connection to hyung. He’ll stop at nothing for blood and he’ll never be satiated. It’s a death sentence.”

Jungkook sucked in a deep breath, sitting up fully to look down at his sleeping vampire as he felt himself on the verge of panic. “We’re— you can stop it— right, hyung?”

Jin bit his lip, stepping forward until he was kneeling on the bed at their feet. “Yes. I’ve done it before.” He looked up at Jimin, silently asking for permission. When the younger nodded his head, he continued, “When I met Jimin-ah he was hours away from reaching bloodlust.”

“I was terrified of what I had become,” Jimin chimed in, closing his eyes to the memories. “My first time feeding away from Taehyung and I killed the woman I was drinking from. I stopped drinking entirely after that. I was so terrified of killing someone else that I nearly killed myself.” 

“I nearly killed him when we met,” the clanhead continued, moving forward to gently take Changkyun into his arms. “He was on the brink of a rage— tried to take a piece out of Hoseok-ah. I thought he was beyond saving but then he pulled back. Started crying and I realized that he wasn’t completely gone so I offered him my blood but the stubborn child refused; said he didn’t want to hurt anyone. At this point, Taehyung-ah had found Jimin and was begging for him to drink from someone— anyone. And then that little devil turned those big, beautiful eyes of his on me and pleaded with me to help save his soulmate.” He shrugged, aiming for nonchalant as he tucked Changkyun’s head against his chest, situating the younger’s legs across his lap so that he was fully cradling the younger in his arms. “So I thralled him. Told him to drink from me. When I needed a break, I had him drink from Yoongi-yah and so on. It took a few days of constant feeding before the bloodlust faded enough that I could release him from my thrall.”

“It’s also how Jin-hyung claimed us,” Jimin chriped, sounding much happier about sharing that particular detail. “A thrall can only be held for a few hours by someone who is not their sire. So when Jin-hyung found out that I was a baby without a sire, he asked Taehyung if he could sire me. Taetae agreed— obviously— and the rest is history.”

Jungkook crawled over to Jin’s side, wrapping his arms around the elder’s waist so that he could rest his cheek lightly on Changkyun’s head. “Now you’re hyung’s sire?” He asked, looking up at the clanhead. 

The elder nodded, giving the younger a shaky smile. “I am, Jungkook-ah. I’m sorry I had to take that choice away from him,” Jin stated, swallowing thickly as he looked down at the baby in his arms.

The wolf gently rubbed Seokjin’s hip. “I guarantee hyung already forgives you— I do. You’re saving him. And besides— you’re like the best clanhead ever. We’re all lucky to have you— that you chose us.”

Jin laughed wetly, pressing a kiss to Jungkook’s forehead before reaching up and nicking his neck and pressing Changkyun’s mouth to him.  **_Drink._ ** He smiled in relief as he felt the baby begin to take deep, hearty swallows for the first time in what felt like forever, gently pressing his palm against the younger’s throat to feel the reassuring bobs of his adam’s apple. 

Changkyun’s warm  _ thank you _ resonated through his mind as his thirst slowly abated. A few minutes later, Jin pulled the younger away, flinching when his baby whined lowly through his consciousness. 

“Shh, baby,” he cooed, petting back the fledgling’s bangs as he lifted him into Yoongi’s lap who quickly nicked his wrist and brought it to the baby’s lips. “ **Drink, precious** **_._ ** That’s it— good boy.”

Jungkook shifted, taking Jin’s free arms an invitation to curl up in the clanhead’s lap instead. “So— we have to constantly feed him?”

He nodded, pressing a kiss to Jungkook’s temple. “Yes. The more we can feed him the faster his bloodlust will fade. There’s twice as many of us this time compared to when we had to saturate Jimin-ah’s bloodlust. More people to fill him up.” He tickled Jungkook’s side, making the wolf giggle. “Changkyunnie will be back to his old self in no time, treasure.”

They kept a rotation of feeding Changkyun through the night, around two am the coven came stumbling into the bedroom, collapsing on the rest of the clan as they each eagerly took their turns to feed the baby. By the time the sun was peeking above the horizon, Changkyun had finally stopped feeding, tucked between Yugyeom and Jungkook as the rest of the clan bunched in around them. Jin felt out Changkyun’s consciousness, looking for any residual bloodlust before leaning forward, cupping the baby’s cheeks as he looked into his glassy eyes.

**_Wake up, my love._ ** He pulled out of Changkyun’s mind, releasing him from his thrall. 

Changkyun slowly blinked as his eyes cleared, looking around for the first time with clarity in what felt like forever. He focused in on the clanhead’s worried face before promptly bursting into tears and falling into the elder’s chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I made you all wait in suspense, didn’t I? We’re nearly there though! Only one chapter left! Are you all as sad to see this coming to a close as I am? Though (super secret— don’t tell anybody!) I am about half-way through a bonus eleventh chapter where we get to see each member’s backstory. I thought about posting it as its own separate story (because of how long it will be) but I decided that it would be better suited tacked on at the end of this story. They were supposed to be little vignettes (like... 500-1000 words?) but... so far, my shortest is about 1500... Vignettes apparently aren’t my thing. XD more for you right?! 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I’ll see you in the next chapter!


	10. A Fledgling’s Worth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Changkyun's past is reveled and the babies secure their places in the clan.

Changkyun felt like he was going to be sick. The sudden clarity he experienced as Jin released his thrall was like being dunked in ice water while he was sleeping. He gasped, sputtering as he fell into his sire’s chest, sobbing at the relief of finally being able to  _ breathe _ . “Hyung,” he shuddered, numb fingers grasping frantically at the elder’s shirt. “Hyungie— I—” Changkyun broke down again, wrapping his legs around Seokjin’s waist so that he was straddling the other man, getting as close as physically possible as he sobbed. Jin cooed softly, petting his hair as he gently rocked the baby in his arms. “Was so scared, hyung.”

“I know, little one,” the elder whispered, holding the fledgling’s head to his chest. “Hyung is so sorry.”

Yugyeom crawled up behind the baby vampire, wrapping his long arms around his middle as he nuzzled into his hyung’s neck. “Kyunnie-hyungie,” he whined, pressing tiny, frantic kisses to Changkyun’s skin. “You’re okay now, hyung. You’re okay.”

The fledgling nodded against Seokjin’s neck, letting go of the elder’s shirt with one hand to reach back and thread his fingers through Jungkook’s. Changkyun was silent with the exception of his soft sniffling as he relished in the clarity of the world around him once more. He could feel the line of heat from Yugyeom’s body against his, Jungkook’s even hotter fingers soothing his palm.

“How— How long?” Jungkook asked, voice breaking as he bit back the sobs threatening to bubble up out of his throat. “How long were you— under thrall?”

The elder bit his lip, pulling back from Seokjin to look at the two younger boys behind him. “Since the full moon, I think. He— he didn’t always control me and— I didn't realize he was in my head at first. I thought— maybe I was just like— sick? — or something. Like— I didn’t want to eat but my worry for Kookie was real so I thought maybe it was related? And then— then I  _ couldn’t _ eat and I— I was so  _ hungry.  _ But my brain wasn’t letting me—  _ he _ wasn't letting me.” He took a deep shuddering breath, closing his eyes as he continued. “Every— every time I tried to tell any of you though it was like I couldn’t get the words past my mouth. It felt like I was choking on my own tongue.” He started shaking, pressing in close to Seokjin’s calming presence as he fought through the memories. “And then— he started to talk to me— through our bond. It— the things he had planned for me. Hyung— I—  _ thank you _ .” Changkyung sniffled, running his nose along the clanhead’s throat as he inhaled his warm chocolate chip cookie scent. “I’m sorry that you had to claim me but— thank you for not letting him take me.”

Seokjin sucked in a breath, pulling Changkyun’s face away from his neck to look him in the eyes. “ _ I’m  _ sorry, Changkyun-ah. I would have never claimed you without your permission if I had had the choice, angel. Please forgive me for betraying your trust like that and know that I will do everything in my power to make it up to you for the rest of our lives.”

The fledgling’s eyes were wide, staring at his sire in confusion. “You— what?”

“Hyung had this huge proposal planned out for you, Kkukkungie,” Wonho explained, smiling sadly from his place near the headboard. “With balloons and roses— the whole works. He’s been fretting over the details for weeks,” he teased, playfully avoiding the kick the elder threw his way.

“Proposal?” Changkyun asked. “You want me?”

“Of course I want you!” The clanhead exclaimed, staring at the baby in horror. “You— you thought I didn’t?”

The younger shrugged, trying to hide his face in Jin’s chest again. The elder didn’t let him, holding him away so that he could keep track of the younger’s expressions. “I mean— I knew you wanted Kookie and Gyeom but I figured you were just... keeping me around for their sakes? That you just didn’t know how to tell me— especially since Kookie claimed me and all.”

Enraged protests sprouted around the room as the rest of the clan stared at their baby in horror. Wonho and Jooheon were in tears, the younger crawling over to nuzzle Changkyun’s back. “We love you, Kyunnie,” he cried. “We love you so much.”

Jin carefully extracted Changkyun from the younger boys’ grips, pulling the overwhelmed boy into his arms as he scooted back to lean against the foot board to give the fledgling a bit of space to breathe without letting him out of his hold. “What made you think we didn’t want you, Changkyun-ah?” he asked softly. 

The younger shrugged again, trying to play it off. “Just— made sense, I guess. No one ever really wants someone like me for long.”

“Someone like  _ you? _ ” Jungkook exclaimed, rocking forward to move towards the elder again before Namjoon snagged him, pulling him into his lap to keep him from crowding the other baby. “Hyung— how could someone  _ not _ want you?”

“I— My parents didn’t,” he mumbled, finally getting his way as he shoved his face into Jin’s chest again. “Neither did my halmeoni. Or Nubility.”

“Tell me,” the clanhead requested quietly, petting the baby’s hair softly. “Hmm? Tell hyungs everything, please. Help us understand where you’re coming from so we know what to do so that you never feel like we don’t want you again— because we do. We love you so much.”

Changkyun shifted uncomfortably, feeling everyone’s eyes on him. “Everyone just always leaves eventually, I guess. Halmeoni always said that I was cursed to drive people away. Eomma and Appa decided I wasn’t worth the effort when I was eleven. One morning they said that Appa got a new job in America and that I was going to live with my halmeoni while they were gone.” He reached down, grabbing hold of Jin’s fingers to give him something to distract himself with while he spoke. “They called once in a while, less so the longer they were gone until they just stopped calling all together. I think halmeoni resented me for that— she lost her son because of me. When I was sixteen she kicked me out. Said I was too much trouble— that I brought bad luck into her home.” He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he felt Jin run his teeth along his neck soothingly. “I was alone for a bit after that. Lived on the streets— that sort of thing. Then I ran into this kid, Jongyeon, quite literally. He was running from this group of thugs and I just defended him— without thinking about the consequences. The thugs beat the crap out of me and left in retaliation. I sort of expected Jongyeon to leave me too but he called Byunghwa-hyung and they brought me back to their place. Patched me up and then introduced me to Taehyuk-hyung." He bit his lip, embarrassed about admitting to his upstanding hyungs that he had been a drug runner. "Ran with them for a while. They were like a family to me but— one day I got back from doing a delivery and the base was empty. Everything was just gone,” He sniffled, scrunching his nose as he tried not to cry again. “They left me— without a word. I wasn’t worth taking with them I guess. I stuck to myself after that— until Kookie and Gyeommie, that is.”

“They were wrong, hyung,” Yugyeom declared, looking ready to kill on the elder’s behalf. “You’re worth everything.”

“There’s got to be something wrong with me, Gyeom,” he argued, avoiding looking at the younger as he spoke. “Everyone gets bored and leaves me at some point. They can’t all be wrong. It only makes sense that you will eventually get sick of me too.”

Minhyuk scooted forward, cupping Changkyun’s cheeks in his hands as he glared fiercely at the younger. “Never. Every single one of them were in the wrong, Kkukkung. You are such a wonderfully kind and caring boy. Only idiots would be foolish enough not to love you unconditionally. Every single person in this room loves you more than we could ever possibly express. We won’t get bored of you or think you’re not worth it. And we’ll show you how much you’re worth to us every day for the rest of our existence.” He leaned closer, dropping a soft kiss on the younger’s lips before pulling back. 

There was a series of approving noises from the clan as they agreed with Minhyuk, nodding their heads profusely. 

“I just— you really want me? Honestly?” Changkyun asked, looking around in baffled wonderment. “Because it’s okay if you don’t. I won’t— I won’t be upset.”

Jin took hold of Changkyun’s shoulders, spinning him around so that the younger was facing him. He carefully took Changkyun’s hands in his, staring the younger down as he smiled softly. “I’m sorry it took me so long to ask this but I wanted to do this right with you and make it special, Changkyun-ah. But I suppose the sentiment is still the same even if it is out of order.” He reached into his pocket to pull out a small tag, holding it in his fingers for the younger to take. Changkyun hesitantly reached forward, accepting the clan marker gingerly, staring down at it in wonder. “I love you, Changkyun-ah. I can’t imagine my life without you in it and I want the world to know you’re mine. I never want another to come along and think they can take you from me. Will you accept me as your sire and clanhead?”

Changkyun stared down at the clan marker in shock. He gently traced the ‘X’ with his thumb, marveling at how the outward facing trapezoids interlocked with the ‘X’ and the heptagon around the outside, the gold, sliver, and black of each part seamlessly melding into each other. Slowly, he nodded his head, glancing back up to see Jin’s face-splitting grin. 

The elder carefully took the pack marker back, reaching up to hook it into the ring on his fledgling’s collar. Warmth washed over Changkyun as the claim solidified with help from the elder's magic, making tears well up in his eyes as he finally felt wanted, wholly and unconditionally, for the first time in his life, Jin’s love for him resonating through the bond like a soft lullaby. He could sense the rest of the vampires as well, not as strongly as his sire’s, but strong enough to feel how excited they were, how much love they felt towards each other— towards him. Changkyun threw himself at Seokjin, wrapping his arms tightly around the clanhead’s neck as he sobbed openly and unafraid of judgement. 

Jungkook jumped in alarm, trying to get to his hyung before Namjoon pulled him back again, petting his hair back soothingly. “They’re happy tears, Kook-ah,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the younger’s cheek. “Kyunie is happy, baby. It’s okay.”

Seokjin returned the tight hold, pressing kisses to the top of his baby’s head. “I love you, treasure.” He held the younger close, smiling as the baby dropped off to sleep after a few minutes, exhausted in every sense of the word as the last few weeks finally caught up with him. Slowly, Jin motioned for Yugyeom and Jungkook to scoot closer, holding two more clan markers in his palm like a promise. “I love the two of you just as much,” he declared. “I would be honored if you accepted my claim as well.” 

The two boys nodded excitedly, grinning widely at their clanhead. 

He carefully dropped a pack marker in each of their hands before motioning for Shownu to take the sleeping fledgling from his lap. The pack alpha happily obliged, tucking the younger into his own lap as he sat back to watch, nuzzling the younger’s hair as he inhaled his baby’s coffeehouse scent. 

Jin turned back to the two boys in front of him. He carefully cupped Yugyeom’s cheeks, pressing a kiss to his lips before taking the clan marker and hooking it into the younger’s collar. He then did the same for Jungkook laughing wetly as he felt both boys settle into his peripheral consciousness next to Changkyun. The clanhead pulled both boys into his arms securely, squeezing them excitedly. 

“I guess the balloons can be for a party instead of a proposal, huh, hyung?” Jackson teased, nudging the elder playfully. 

Seokjin smiled, “Yeah. I think we’re due for a celebration. Our babies are finally officially ours.” He turned to shoot Hoseok a knowing smirk. “And you thought I was going to scare them off.”

Hoseok laughed brightly, “I still stand by that, hyung.” He winked at the two babies still awake. “Too late to back out now, though. You’re stuck with eighteen incredibly overbearing hyungs. I hope you’re prepared to be coddled for the rest of your lives because we’re never letting you go.”

Jungkook and Yugyeom looked at each other mischievously before the later spoke, “I hope you’re ready to coddle us because we’re all overdue a lifetime of cuddles.”

The clan burst into happy giggles, Jin snatching Jungkook around his waist as he dragged him back down into a lying position, tucking the younger’s head into his chest. The wolf pretended to struggle for a moment before giving in and wrapping his arms around the clanhead’s waist. Yugyeom was similarly pulled in, gently curling against Hoseok’s shoulder as Jinyoung threw a leg over him on his other side. 

Youngjae snorted, leaning against the other maknaes on the other end of the bed as he watched the babies get thoroughly cosseted by their hyungs. “You might regret your decision in fifty years,” he warned teasingly, a wide smile on his face. 

Yugyeom giggled, trying to bend away from Hoseok’s kisses only to open himself for Jinyoung's attack. “Never.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh..... It's over... I don't know how to feel. Thank you all so very very much for reading and commenting and giving this story all the love. You're truly appreciated. <3
> 
> The bonus chapter is still in progress but it will be out by next Saturday guaranteed. 
> 
> I love all of your beautiful faces!!!


	11. Bonus: The Test of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back stories for each member of the clan and how they came together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have added tags to this story specifically for this chapter. If any of the following are triggers for you please do not read/proceed cautiously:  
> Drowning - Murder - temporary death - hospitals - terminal illness - memory loss - minor suicidal ideation - mentions of whipping/abuse - mentions of torture - starvation - gender discrimination 
> 
> Other wise, enjoy!

#  945 - Desperate Measures

The moon was a sliver in the night sky as Seokjin stole away from his coven home, the rest of his family coven still sleeping soundly inside. He made his way through the thick trees lining their village towards his hidden laboratory. The tall man smiled as he pushed open his creaky wooden door, the sound a sweet welcoming reminder to this little island of freedom from his overbearing mother. Male witches, especially in black magic, were seen as weak, useless pack mules— only good to store stronger witches’ magics. Seokjin was determined to show them how strong he truly was— how  _ useful _ he could be to the Goetics. He refused to end up like his brother and his father before him— his mother would see beyond his gender and accept him into the inner coven’s circle. All he needed to do was prove himself.

He clapped his hands, lighting the candles with his magic as he stared around his laboratory in satisfaction. Seokjin pulled out his current project, humming softly as he lit the fire under the cauldron and added his base potion. He ground some bat wings in his mortar before slowly dumping them into his now bubbling potion. The liquid sizzled, turning a near-black frothy nightmare potion. He grinned widely, leaning in to smell the putrid scent of death. This was an instant death potion, sure to kill anyone with a single drop on their skin. It was Seokjin’s specialty. Seokjin also knew that he could make the death... temporary— if he could find the right ingredient. He went over to his shelf, pulling down the mandrake roots and taking them over to the table chopping them into fine slivers. He added them to the instant death one at a time, watching the mandrake create small fissures of white in the potion. The potion swirled in lazy circles, every once in a while sending out bright sparks, fizzling out before they could touch anything in his lab. 

Seokjin leapt over to his notebook, writing down his observations optimistically as he gazed at his potion lovingly. This was sure to please mother. He just needed to test it first. As he made his way back over to the potion, his hand knocked against his wall of jars, sending many of his hard gathered ingredients onto the floor. He swore, bending down to scoop what he could into his palms and set them on the table. As he stood up, he noticed that the mandrake had turned a blood red as it swirled through the potion. Seokjin stared at it in shock, swallowing thickly as he stared at his ruined potion. 

Leeches. 

He growled, sending his arm across the table in anger as he pushed everything to the ground. He didn’t have  _ time _ . The sun would be up in mere hours and if he didn’t have anything to show for himself— 

He took a deep shuddering breath, leaning his hands on either side of the cauldron as he glared at his ruined potion.

Seokjin was going to die. Just like his brother and father before him, with the coming sun, his mother would drain him of his magic and leave his husk to decay on the ground. He allowed a singular tear to escape the corner of his eyes before bringing his hand up to scrub at his face furiously. He didn’t have  _ time _ . 

It didn’t matter. 

He grabbed his ladle, dipping it into the unknown potion determinedly. Whatever this potion did to him at this point, he didn’t care. He was dead either way. Jin brought the potion up to his lips, drinking it down before he could gag at the rancid taste of it. 

Seokjin dropped the ladle as fire immediately licked through his veins. The witch collapsed, accidentally tipping the cauldron on top of him on his way down as he gasped for air. 

He was dying.

His heart was raging in his ears, as the potion absorbed into his skin, making the fire rage even harder. He bit his lip to prevent himself from screaming out loud, his tooth piercing the soft skin as if it were a peach. So this is what death felt like. Seokjin cried, clawing at the dirt floor as the fire consumed him, blacking out his vision and sending him into darkness.

Seokjin was awakened by the harsh stinging hex courtesy of his mother. “What have you  _ done _ ? You insolent child!” The woman’s voice was grating, more so than usual, as she pulled him upright by his hair. 

He groaned, fighting the hands off of him feebly as his mother dragged him out of his laboratory and into the morning sun. He hissed, fighting frantically, as the sun burned his skin worse than the potion had the night before. The witch ripped himself free, scrambling frantically back inside of the lab as he nursed his burned skin. 

“What the hell is wrong with you?” his mother screeched, storming back inside. She froze as she caught sight of his burned skin. “What did you  _ do _ , Seokjin! What is wrong with you?”

Seokjin shook his head. “I’m— I should be dead.”

“You  _ are _ ,” she hissed, reaching forward to shake his head by the hair once more. “Your magic is  _ gone _ . What did you  _ do _ — trade it away?  _ Waste _ it? That magic was  _ mine _ , you ungrateful bastard!” She snatched his chin with her overgrown fingernails, cutting into his skin as he swallowed around the dry, burning sensation in his throat. He needed a drink. “You destroyed your body— my  _ magic _ — what  _ are _ you?”

She threw him to the ground, leaving him gasping for breath as she dug around this laboratory. Bottles were up turned as she searched, glass breaking around him as he feebly crawled towards a dark corner. 

“What’s taking so long, Auntie?” Jin’s cousin, whined stalking into the small building. The man swallowed, staring at his cousin in desire. She smelled— sweet— like chocolate and something warmer. He needed— he needed  _ her. _ He felt possessed as he lunged towards her, dragging her to the ground as he pinned himself on top of her. She smelled even sweeter up close as he brought his mouth down on her neck in a trance. His teeth stretched, pulling away from his gums in sharp points as he punctured her jugular. His cousin’s warm blood flooded his mouth, spreading across his tongue like warm tree sap. Vaguely, he could hear his mother screaming in the background, muffled and distorted as if he were underwater; the only thing he was aware of was the warm, delicious blood he was pulling from his cousin’s body. There were hands on his shoulders, his hair, his waist, trying to pull him away from his cousin but he held firm, sucking and sucking until there was nothing left. Finally his thirst abated and he allowed himself to be pulled away. 

“What  _ are _ you?” his mother whispered, staring at her son in horror. “What have you  _ become _ ?” She used her magic to create tight bindings around Seokjin’s person, securing him to the support pillar in the center of his lab. His mother continued searching through his things, completely disregarding her now-dead niece at the entrance. Seokjin couldn’t tear his eyes from her though, focused in on her glassed over eyes, staring off at the far wall, cheeks still wet from her tears, neck ripped open, nearly completely devoid of blood. He did that— he killed his cousin— drank her blood. There was a moment of fierce satisfaction that burned through his veins at the knowledge that he got to her before she could get to him him before his rationality kicked in and he had to swallow back his tears, knowing that they were useless in this situation. His mother came over to him, shaking his notebook angrily at him. “You were playing with things beyond your comprehension! There is no coming back from death, you idiotic child!”

Seokjin snorted, turning his cheek away from the furious Goetic in front of him. “Obviously there is, mother. Or I wouldn’t be here.”

His head snapped to the side at the force of his mother’s slap. He stretched his jaw as he rolled his neck to face his mother again. “You— I will kill you! Whatever you did took away my magic running through your veins. Even poor Hyojin’s magic is gone! You  _ disgusting _ leech! What did you do with it, huh? Where is my magic?”

Seokjin rolled his eyes, “Why don’t you ask your precious Hyojin?” he spat out. The woman let out a feral screech, running at Seokjin. He reacted on instinct, breaking through his bindings as if they were made of water, rolling away from the angry Goetic. He swore under his breath, ducking away from his mother’s wildly swinging magic as she descended upon him again. 

“Get back here you—” Her magic whipped at him, black and stinging as it wrapped around his neck like a noose. He gasped, grappling at the magic desperately, his fingers falling through it like smoke. He couldn’t breathe; his mother was choking him and he couldn’t  _ breathe _ **_._ ** He panicked, Hyojin’s blood rushing through his ears, as he grappled at his mother’s magic in futility. “You’ll pay for what you did,” she hissed, irises bleeding red as she dragged him across the floor by her magic. She pulled him out the door and into the sun, making him scream as his skin was scorched. She watched in morbid fascination as her son’s skin blackened against the sun’s rays before sending up a dark shadow to loom over them. She crouched down next to him, glaring intensely. “I am going to dissect you, child,” she growled. “I am going to learn everything about you— and then I’ll kill you.”

#  949 - Happy Accidents

Seokjin was washing the blood off of himself in a creek when he saw him. The man was small, cherubic— innocent— even as he glared fiercely at the herbs he was collecting. Jin swallowed. He smelled— delectable. Though, to be fair, with the level of hunger he was currently feeling, he would think anyone would smell delicious. He was hungry— starving. And this man smelled so,  _ so _ tasty. He slowly crept up behind the man. In the back of his mind he  _ knew _ that he shouldn’t be doing this— shouldn’t  _ want _ to kill this innocent man in front of him— but that part of his mind was overridden with bloodlust. He embraced the man from behind, trapping the human’s arms against his small chest as he dipped his head down to mouth at the man’s soft flesh of his neck. 

“What the fuck,” the man growled, trying to pull away uselessly. “Get the fuck off of me!” 

He hummed thoughtfully, kissing the man’s neck. “I really am sorry about this, sir. I’m just— so thirsty.” Seokjin closed his eyes, muscles barely flexing as he held the man securely to his chest. “Fuck, you smell so good,” he bit his lip in anticipation, accidentally piercing himself with his fang in the process. “I’ll make this as painless as possible for you,” he whispered before biting down. The man’s blood was sweeter than he had anticipated, moaning around the puncture wound. He sucked greedily, vaguely aware of the man struggling weakly in his grasp as he pulled the life from him. The man slowly stopped fighting, sagging in Seokjin’s grip as he pulled the last dredges from his body. 

Slowly, he detached his teeth from the man’s neck, sagging down to the ground with the human’s lifeless corpse in his lap. His consciousness came back to him in waves, like a tide slowly creeping up onto the shore. By the time he had fully comprehended what he had done, he was sobbing into the tiny man’s chest, clinging to him as his sweet, earthy scent receded. 

It was nearing sunrise when Seokjin finally acknowledged his need to move, to find shelter— to... dispose of the body. He took a deep, shuddering breath as he stood up, the man still in his arms, and made his way to the river he had washed himself in only hours ago. Carefully, he knelt down on the muddy riverbed, laying the body on the ground next to him. This was as good a place to rest as any, he supposed, gently brushing back the man’s bangs. 

He froze, hand still hovering near the dead man’s hair as he stared at the body in shock. It had just moved— twitched. His eyelids had fluttered, like one does right before they wake up. Seokjin stared in shock, terrified and excited and so utterly hopeful. Slowly, the man’s eyelids fluttered again, more determined and self aware before carefully opening them in the pre-dawn light. 

“I— what— what happened?” the man asked, reaching up to where his neck had healed over, leaving behind a white, slightly raised scar. His voice was raspy and low as he made eye contact with Seokjin. “You— Do you know what happened?”

The vampire disregarded the man’s question, staring down at him in amazement. “What’s your name?”

“Yoongi— Min Yoongi. I— I think I was attacked. I— it’s hard to remember. Some— some mad-man in the woods. I— I could have sworn he bit me but— I guess I was just... sleeping?”

Seokjin shook his head, offering the smaller male a hand as they stood up. He reached out, catching Yoongi as he stumbled on jelly legs. “No— You were attacked, Yoongi. I’m afraid you’re not exactly yourself anymore though.” He wrapped his arm around the younger’s waist, gently leading him away from the riverbed and further into the tree canopy. “ **Come** . I’ll explain everything I know.”

Yoongi followed along obediently, fingers finding home against Seokjin’s hip as he clutched the mammoth of a man for support. The elder vampire looked around, trying to spot something that could hide them away from the sun. Far off to the right he spotted what looked like a cave and, as he eyed the quickly rising sun, determined that that was as good a place as any, leading his new fledgling towards the opening. Yoongi hummed in confusion, holding onto Seokjin tighter as the vampire led them in a way so that they would be safe from the sun’s harsh rays. 

“We should be safe here, Yoongi-ah,” the vampire reassured, helping the younger to settle on the stone ground. He squatted in front of the newly turned vampire, staring at him inquisitively. “Now— what about you is different? I’ve never turned anyone else when I drank from them. It must have been— was it my blood?” He leaned in closely, nose brushing a startled Yoongi’s neck, before sniffing deeply, smelling his own scent mixed in with the cherub boy’s. “Ah— yes, that must be it. I must have given you some of my blood in return. Is that— is that really all it takes? To make more of me?”

Yoongi shook his head, staring at Seokjin in terror. “I don’t understand what is going on. I— I would like to go home now, please. Please sir, let me leave.”

“Seokjin. Kim Seokjin,” the elder responded distractedly though having enough sense to hold on to his newest charge tightly to prevent the scared boy from running off and hurting himself. “And I can’t let you leave, Yoongi-ah. For your own protection and for the protection of those you love. If my hypothesis is correct, then I’ve accidentally turned you into what I am and for that I am deeply sorry.”

“What— what are you?” Yoongi asked, swallowing thickly as he examined the man in front of him. 

The elder shrugged, shooting him a playful grin. “I’ve been calling myself a vampire. Sounds cool, doesn’t it?  _ Vampire _ .” 

“You’re— you’re that witch— the one that completely drained that other Goetic a few years ago.”

Seokjin smiled, reaching forward to brush back Yoongi’s bangs again. “The one in the same, sweetheart. I only recently escaped my mother’s clutches though, so I’m a bit behind on current events. Tell me— what was spread around about me?”

Yoongi shuddered, staring at Seokjin in a new, more terrifying light. “That— that you dabbled in things that not even the inner Goetic coven dared to mess with and— and turned yourself into a monster. The village— the village has had to sacrifice our old and weak to keep you alive and spare us from the wrath of the Goetics.”

The elder snorted, making himself comfortable on the ground next to Yoongi, tucking the younger underneath his arm securely. “I barely was fed the scraps of those humans. Your village was played, Yoongi-ah. Those villagers were already dead by the time I drained them of blood. My mother— she kept me prisoner. Studied me and my notes, learned everything she could about what I had done to outwit death. I’m afraid she sold her findings before I could kill her,” he murmured, leaning down to press a shaky kiss to the top of Yoongi’s head. “I’m sorry I turned you, Yoongi-ah. I didn’t want to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt anyone. But— what I became— what I turned you into, we— we need blood to survive and I was  _ so _ hungry. I had been locked away without nourishment for weeks before I finally broke free from my mother’s bindings. I think it might have been the bloodlust to be honest.” He rolled up one of his sleeves, displaying the black burns around his wrists like shackles. “She learned quickly what spells could keep me immobile. When the bloodlust took over, I lost all sense of self-preservation. I don’t think I would have been able to escape otherwise.” He took a shuddering breath, reveling in Yoongi’s soft, sweet scent. “I may not have meant to create you, Yoongi-ah, but I will take care of you until my dying breath. You’ll be safe with me.” He pulled the younger into his lap, guiding the younger’s mouth to his neck instinctively. “ **Eat, angel,** ” he murmured. 

Yoongi bit down without a thought, pulling from the elder ravenously until Seokjin pulled him off of him. The younger vampire whined petulantly, trying to go back in for more. 

Seokjin cooed fondly, petting the man’s hair as he leaned forwards to press a soft kiss to his forehead before tucking the younger against his chest securely. “Fuck— I’m— I’m sorry I did this to you, Yoongi-ah, but I am— I’m really glad I’m not alone anymore.”

The fledgling was quiet for a moment before he cautiously asked, “Is— are there going to be more witches hunting us? Because I’m— I’m like you?”

“No,” Seokjin cooed, pressing frantic little kisses to the top of his head. “I killed my mother’s entire coven. We’re safe. I promise, Yoongi-ah. I’ll keep you safe.”

“You don’t know me,” he mumbled, mouthing against the elder’s chest. 

Seokjin smiled, feeling a soft whisper of confused contentedness wrapping around his chest, a feeling that he could only assume came from Yoongi’s consciousness. There was an underlying feeling of terror that also wasn’t his, and Seokjin understood where the younger was coming from. He just had his entire life ripped from him and he was scared for his future. Seokjin did his best to send waves of reassurance and safety down their bond to try to ease his charge’s worries. As Yoongi’s mind settled, so did his body, relaxing against the elder’s chest as he slowly fell off into dreamland. Seokjin soon followed, arms wrapped tightly around the younger’s to keep him safe while they slept. 

Yoongi woke with a start. There was still light creeping into the cave from the setting sun and, as Yoongi shifted subtly, Seokjin’s arms fell down to rest lightly along his hips. Yoongi had no idea what was going on— was terrified to find out— and took the opportunity to book it away from this blood drinking madman. He carefully peeled Seokjin’s hands away from him, crawling away from the vampire and towards the mouth of the cave. He squinted against the harsh light of the setting sun as he got closer. The second the sunlight touched him, he flinched, throwing himself back into the cave. Yoongi stared at his hand in shock, marveling in horror at the bright red burn that had appeared across his skin. He was going insane. This— this was all in his head. He swallowed down the panic welling up inside of him and took another, determined step towards the entrance. 

He hissed as the sun hit his flesh, nearly making him turn back to the safety of Seokjin’s arms, but trekked on. The small man had nearly made it to the treeline when he froze, body uncooperative as he tried to keep going. 

**Come back here.**

Yoongi turned around, feeling panic that was most certainly not his along with worry and just a smidge of anger. He tried to halt his feet, not wanting to return to the cave, but found his muscles had no traction against Seokjin’s pull. Before he knew it, he was back in the cover of darkness with Seokjin’s arms around him in a tight, frantic hug. 

“Fuck— what were you thinking, Yoongi-ah?” The elder scolded, pulling back to cup the fledgling’s cheeks between his large hands as he examined him, taking stock of his injuries. “At least you had sense enough to come back. Aish— you’re going to give me grey hairs, aren’t you?”

The younger cocked his head in confusion. “I didn’t want to come back. You— you made me?”

“What?” Seokjin asked, looking at the other vampire in alarm. “What do you mean I made you? I wasn’t anywhere near you.”

Yoongi pulled back some, pointing to his head. “You were in here. You— you told me to come back and my feet just started walking. I didn’t have control over my own body.” They were quiet, staring at each other in confusion. “I could also feel you— your emotions. You were— scared— for me. And Angry.”

Seokjin snorted, pulling Yoongi back into his chest as he sat back against the wall and let the younger settle comfortably in his lap. “Of course I was. You’re my fledgling. I may not have meant to create you, Yoongi-ah, but the fact is I did and you are my responsibility and I  _ will _ take care of you. So please— don’t leave my side.” He brushed back the younger’s hair before pulling his head down to cradle it against his collarbone. 

The fledgling closed his eyes, allowing Seokjin’s sweet, warm scent to wrap around him like a hug as he felt out the elder’s emotions. The sincerity behind the vampire floored Yoongi and made him think that maybe— just for now— he could stay by Seokjin’s side. 

#  1103 - Those Who Wander

Shownu was tired of being alone. He had been alone since the day he was born, ostracized from his village for being different— non-human— but they didn’t drown him as a pup so he was grateful to them to some extent. Once he could hunt and care for himself, he wandered off into the woods on his own. Four hundred years later, and Shownu was still wandering— alone. Sure he had had packs— partners, friends— over the years but nothing that made him want to settle down and start a pack— start a life with anyone. But he was tired. So when he caught the scent of sweet cinnamon intermixed with a vanilla and caramel, he followed it. It had been so long since someone’s scent intrigued him enough to change his course that he just had to meet the wolves responsible. 

He made his way to a small inlet, eyeing the well worn wooden huts lining the coast affectionately. This was a pack that had been here for a long time. They had built themselves a life here and Shownu was hesitant to barge in but he had to know. 

The alpha stood cautiously on the edge of the territory, hands passively held at his side as an old, white-haired alpha came up to greet him. 

“What can I do for you, son?” he asked, smiling kindly at the younger alpha. 

“I’m just looking for a place to rest,” Shownu responded, doing his best to come across non-threatening. “I’ve been traveling for a while and I caught your pack’s trail and followed it. I’m sorry if I am intruding.”

The alpha waved him off, smiling softly as he wrapped his arm around Shownu’s much larger shoulders. “Nonsense, child. Come— meet my pack. We’ll give you a place to rest. Stay as long as you like.”

Shownu had been at the inlet for three days before he caught wind of one of the scents again. He was in a nearby stream, washing himself when he felt another presence behind him. He turned around, scrubbing at his hair as he looked at the incredibly muscled, incredibly shy alpha standing near the large oak with a small pile of clothes and a bar of lye in his hands. 

The alpha shifted from foot to foot, staring at Shownu with reddened cheeks. “I ah— I’m sorry, alpha-ssi,” the stranger whispered, backing up slightly. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Shownu waved his apology off before beckoning him over. “No need to apologize, this is your river too. My name is Shownu.”

“Ah,” the young wolf grinned, rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly. “Everyone just calls me Wonho.” He bowed to the strange wolf. “It’s nice to formally meet you, Shownu-ssi. You’re all the pack can talk about.”

The elder alpha laughed boisterously. “I imagine I have caused some ruckus, haven’t I?”

Wonho nodded, carefully setting his pile of clothes on the ground before carefully disrobing and getting into the water himself. “I know of quite a few omegas in the pack that are hoping they can reel you in.”

Shownu grinned, rolling his eyes at Wonho playfully. “I’ve been on my own for over four hundred years, Wonho-ah. It’ll take more than a pretty omega to tie me down.”

“Four hundred years?” Wonho asked, nearly dropping his soap in shock. “That’s a long time to be alone, Shownu-ssi.”

The elder shrugged, taking the lye from Wonho’s grip and turning the younger wolf around as he washed his back. “It’s all I’ve ever known. But, if I’m honest, your scent led me here. You and another scent— vanilla and caramel. It surprised me when I followed your scents here, two sweet delicious scents amidst all of these floral and earthy scents.”

Wonho looked down in embarrassment. “I know— I’m too sweet to be an alpha. Our pack alpha had anticipated for me to present as an omega.”

Shownu wrapped his arms around Wonho’s wide shoulders. “There is  _ nothing _ wrong with having a sweet scent as an alpha, Wonho-ah.” He smiled against the younger’s shoulder blade. “It just means you have an extra sweet personality.”

The younger alpha blushed heavily, looking down into the water as the elder held him close. “Why— Why am I letting you— I don’t understand. I’m so— comfortable with you. I— I don’t even know you, Shownu-ssi.”

He smiled wider, rubbing his cheek against Wonho’s neck. “I’m not entirely sure, Wonho-ah. But I do know that I’ve never felt like this for anyone before. My wolf has been screaming at me to claim you since I first smelled your sweet cinnamon scent— even before I knew what you looked like. You’re mine— You and the other sweet scent lingering around this pack’s territory. Do you know who I’m talking about?”

Wonho nodded slowly, eyes closing against Shownu’s ministrations. The elder carefully led them to the edge of the creek, helping the other wolf out of the water. Wonho brought his hand up to his neck. “You scented me.”

Shownu chuckled, nodding his head as he helped Wonho get dressed before dressing himself. “I did. Does that upset you?”

He shook his head, giving the elder a dopy little grin as he accepted his things from the wolf. “No, hyung— It’s— It’s okay if I call you that, right?”

“Nothing would make me happier,” Shownu responded, reaching forward to ruffle Wonho’s hair. “I’ve never been a hyung before.” He gave the younger a fond look, tucking him against his chest. “Will you introduce me to our other mate?”

Wonho nodded, dazed, as he led the elder back to the pack houses. He brought Shownu past the majority of the huts, towards the far outskirts of the pack settlement. The huts out here were obviously abandoned, unkept, and in disrepair— no place for a wolf— especially one of Shownu’s— to be living. Wonho stopped in front of a splintered door, the faint smell of urine lining the foundation made the elder crinkle his nose in disgust. 

“What—”

“Mark-hyung is— he’s the runt, Shownu-hyung,” Wonho explained, carefully opening the door to the hut and leading the elder inside. “We’re not exactly well received in our pack and sometimes— some of the pack like to remind us of our place.”

“Like pissing on your door?” Shownu growled, rubbing the back of Wonho’s hand in soothing circles so that the other alpha knew that it wasn’t  _ him _ who had angered him. 

Wonho nodded hesitantly, moving over towards the small mat set up in the corner where a small body was curled up. “Hyung’s been sick recently. It’s been passed through most of the pack at this point but Alpha refuses to give Mark-hyung any of the healing herbs so his recovery is a bit slower.”

Shownu growled again, coming up to crouch down next to Mark’s head, bringing a gentle hand out to brush back the younger’s bangs. “Aish— aren’t you a pretty thing,” he murmured, smiling at the sleeping omega in the dim light. He was in heaven, surrounded by such sweet scents and the knowledge that both of these beautiful wolves were his. Never before in his life had he ever felt so sure of something before. These wolves were his and he would take care of them for the rest of eternity. He shuffled into a sitting position, carefully, picking up Mark’s lithe form and tucking him into his chest. Mark responded beautifully, wrapping tiny arms around his shoulders as he snuffled into Shownu’s neck in sleepy curiosity. 

“Won-ah?” he mumbled, turning his head towards where Wonho was still kneeling. The young alpha jumped forward, bracketing the omega in from his back, leaning in to give the elder an affectionate kiss to the cheek. 

“It’s okay, hyung,” he whispered, running his fingers up and down the elder’s spine. “This is Shownu-hyung. He wanted to meet you.”

Shownu nodded, using his thumb to imprint his scent onto the omega’s gland. “I’m sorry I’m being so forward. I’m afraid I’ve never been so sure of myself before and I just— my wolf needs to hold you both close for a moment.” He stretched his arm out to encompass Wonho, pulling him against his chest as well.

The alpha submitted easily, baring his neck for the elder to scent again as he hummed contentedly. They were interrupted by a wet cough, Mark burying his face in Shownu’s soft hanbok. 

“Aish, my sweet baby,” Shownu cooed, running his fingers through Mark’s hair. He turned to Wonho who had sat back to watch the omega worriedly. “What kind of herbs do you need?”

Wonho looked at the elder in shock before scooting across the ground to pull out a small satchel. “We— I have a mint plant and I— I stole this chamomile from noona a few huts down. But— we still need catnip. I— once I have that I can make hyung the herbal remedy but— I can’t leave him for that long. It’s— it’s not safe.”

The younger’s admission made Shownu growl again, opening his arm for Wonho to bury himself against his neck again, rubbing some of his sweet cinnamon into his own peppermint. Shownu hummed happily, baring more of his neck for Wonho before making the younger pull away. He motioned toward their sleeping mat, “Lay down, pup,” he cooed, still holding securely onto Mark. Wonho followed, tucking himself against the wall as he laid on his side and watched the elder in curiosity. Shownu shuffled over, laying Mark down against the younger wolf. “Aish— you two are adorable.” He leaned over them, pressing soft kisses to each of their cheeks before pulling back. “Hyung is going to go get you the catnip, angels,” he murmured, reaching forward to brush Mark’s bangs out of his face. 

The omega looked up at him through glassy eyes, whining quietly as he reached towards the alpha. “ ‘yung.”

Shownu’s heart melted, leaning in for one more kiss before pulling away completely. “Hyung will be back before you know it,” he promised, before leaving through their broken door.

Shownu was on his way back to his mates’ hut, catnip in the satchel he had taken from Wonho before he left in one hand and a fat rabbit in his other. He had spotted the small campfire outside of their front door on his way out and had decided that that would do just fine to provide for his mates. 

“Oppa! Shownu-oppa! What are you doing all the way out here?” Shownu turned around, trying not to look too annoyed at being interrupted by the tall omega wolf that had run up to him. She smiled at him, batting her eyes as she eyed his catch hungrily.

“I am busy. And I would prefer if you did not speak so informally with me. We are not friends. I don’t even know your name.” Okay. Maybe he wasn’t trying as hard as he should.

“Oh! I’m—”

“Neither do I wish to know.” Yup. Definitely hurt her sensitive feelings. Shownu couldn’t find it in himself to care though as he turned back down the path towards Mark and Wonho’s. 

“You can’t really be going to the runt’s shack,” she scoffed, folding her arms across her chest as he tapped her foot in irritation. “The runt and his gender-confused mate aren’t worth your time, Oppa. Why don’t you come back to my hut and I’ll show you what a  _ real _ omega can do.”

Shownu scoffed, not bothering to turn around to face the cocky omega again. “I think I can tell a real omega for myself thanks. Best be on your way before you truly piss me off though.”

With that he walked away, ignoring her indignant screeching as he made his way back to his mates’ door. He knocked lightly before opening it, smiling as he saw that Wonho had fallen asleep with his arms wrapped securely around an equally dead-to-the-world Mark. He set the satchel down in front of them on the ground before making his way back outside to start a fire and cook his rabbit. 

About half an hour later, Shownu brought the cooked rabbit back in, smiling at the now awake Wonho who was crouched over a broken cup that he was grinding the herbs into. “Hi, hyung,” he greeted, smiling up at Shownu fondly. “Thank you— for the catnip. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble for you.”

Shownu bent down, pressing a fond kiss to Wonho’s temple. He placed the cooked rabbit on the ground, going over to pick up a still sleepy Mark and cradled him to his chest as he joined Wonho on the ground near their interior fire. He reached around the omega in his lap peeling off a bit of the meat before holding it up to Mark’s lips. 

The omega turned away, hiding his head in Shownu’s chest. “Alphas eat first,” he murmured, body trembling. “Then the betas, and then omegas— runts get scraps.”

The alpha growled, gently pulling Mark’s head away from his neck. “Not with me they don’t. We eat together— as equals. Sick and injured are fed first as they need the most to heal. So open up, Mark-ah. Hyung is going to feed you now so that you can get better.”

The two wolves stared at Shownu in shock before Mark hesitantly opened his mouth to accept the rabbit, humming happily at the explosion of warm juices that dribbled across his tongue as he chewed. “Thank you for the meal, alpha.”

Shownu smiled happily, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Mark’s sweaty hair. “Hyung is always happy to feed you, pup.” He turned to Wonho who was still holding the herbal tea in his hands. “Hand that to me, please, Wonho-ah. And please eat your fill as well. Hyung caught this rabbit for the two of you. Please eat well.”

Shownu had been with Mark and Wonho for nearly a week when the old pack alpha made his way to their hut, smiling at the other alpha serenely. “Shownu-ah,” he crowed in faux delight. “I must insist you stop interacting with the slums of our people and come back to our pack center. I have much more suitable omegas for you than the runt.”

The alpha swallowed his growl as he caught Wonho and Mark’s dejected slumps at their pack alpha’s complete disregard for them. “I have met with your ‘suitable’ omegas, alpha-ssi. However, none of them call to me quite like Mark and Wonho do. What would it take for you to part with those two? I think it’s about time for me to be on my way but I’m afraid I cannot leave without them.”

There were gasps from the pack around them, a soft murmuring rising up as they marveled at Shownu’s declaration. The old alpha laughed heartily. “ _ Those two _ ? You want to start a pack with  _ them _ ? By all means, Shownu-ssi, take our flotsam wolves if you so desire but you’ll be regretting your decision if you do. Like I told you, I have much better options if you’re looking to settle down. Quite a few of my omegas have expressed an interest in mating to you.”

“And I have made myself quite clear,” Shownu replied. “I want Mark and Wonho.”

The old man waved halfheartedly. “By all means then, Shownu-ssi. Take the runt and the dud. They’re all yours.” The alpha limped over to the two wolves in question, succinctly ripping his claws through both of their pack bonds before moving back towards the path, leaving the two on the ground where they fell. “I expect the three of you gone by sunrise, Shownu-ssi.” With that, he and the rest of his pack left the three wolves on the edge of their territory. 

As soon as they were gone, Shownu ran to the other two, tucking them both into his chest as he pressed frantic kisses to each of their faces. “I’m so sorry, my babies,” he cried. “I didn’t think he would react so violently. I’m so sorry. Alpha will fix it. Hmm? Would you do the honor of being mine?”

Wonho pulled pack, holding Shownu’s cheeks between his hands as his tears slowly abated. “Only if you can be our’s too, hyung.” 

Shownu smiled widely, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to Wonho’s lips. “That would make me very happy, maknae.” He leaned down, pressing another kiss to Mark’s hair. “Are you okay with this Mark-ah?”

Mark’s head flew up, staring at Shownu with wide eyes. “ _ Please _ , hyung. I— I want to be yours so badly— and Wonho-ah’s. I want you to be mine too.”

Shownu smiled, standing up with the small omega still in his arms. He wrapped his arm around Wonho’s waist, leading the two of them back into their hut. The alpha sat on the sleeping mat, setting Mark next to him as Wonho completed their three-pointed circle. “Alright— I have to be honest. I know the theory of pack bonding but— I’ve never actually seen it in action,” he confessed in embarrassment.

The two giggled, falling into each other as they stared at their awkward hyung. Wonho was the first to sober up, staring at the elder intently, “You’ll be pack alpha, right?” he asked, worrying his lip intensely.

Shownu reached forward, pulling the lip from his teeth as he smiled reassuringly. “If that’s okay with the two of you, I’d very much like that— to take care of you.”

They nodded, smiling happily. “Then it’s mostly up to you, hyung. To claim us you bite us and accept us into the bond.”

Wonho’s answer made the elder alpha frown, something about that not sitting right with him. “There’s— there’s no point where you claim me?”

Mark shook his head. “Pack alpha has all the power— the power to claim, and to take away, and to control. The pack listens and abides by the pack alpha’s law.”

“I don’t like that,” Shownu stated, frown deepening. “We’re equals. If I’m claiming you, then you will claim me as well.” He was silent for a moment while he thought before he smiled brightly. “Alright. How about this. I bite Wonho-ah first— to open the bond between us.” He reached up, rubbing soothingly over the wolf’s healing pardon. “Then Wonho-ah can accept the bond— by biting me here. ” He pointed to his chest, directly over his heart. “This— this will indicate him as my second. I’ll seal our bond by biting him again, accepting him.” Wonho nodded excitedly, smiling at the other alpha widely. “I’ll claim Mark-ah next, open his invitation. Then I want you, Wonho-ah, to accept him as well.”

Mark leaned forward, grinning widely. “Then I get to claim your heart?”

Shownu laughed, ruffling the younger’s hair. “Then you get to claim my heart. And then I’ll seal our bond. Equals.”

“Equals,” Mark agreed, leaning into the alpha. He looked over to Wonho conspiratorially. “Does this mean I can finally claim Wonho-ah back? Our old pack alpha would have pardoned us if we had. You know— me being an omega and all.”

“I would be very happy to see you claim our maknae, Mark-ah. Make sure he knows he belongs to both of us completely.”

The three fell into giggles laying together contentedly for a few moments before Shownu began. 

They left before dawn, the three’s meager belongings in two rucksacks, as they headed out of the territory. “Where are we going, alpha?” Mark asked from his spot on Wonho’s back, his cheek resting lazily against the younger’s shoulder as he watched their progress.

“I’m not sure,” Shownu replied, wrapping his arm around Mark’s, and by extension Wonho’s, waist. “Anywhere you have in mind?”

“I’ve always wanted to see the ocean,” Wonho replied, shrugging lightly, “But I’ll go anywhere with hyungs.”

Mark snorted, closing his eyes. “Sap. Let’s go to the ocean, hyung.”

Shownu smiled, humming happily. “Alright— to the ocean we go then.”

#  1253 - From the Ashes

Bambam clung to his alpha desperately as he watched his home go up in flames. Jaebum led the catatonic omega over to a giant willow tree, far enough away from the fire that he knew the younger would be safe. “Stay here, pup,” he commanded, pulling away reluctantly. He closed his ears off from his omega’s desperate cries as he ran back into the burning wreckage. “Jackson-ah!” he yelled, searching frantically through the burning huts for his missing mate. “Jackson-ah! Where are you?!”

He paused, cocking his head to the side as he heard the telltale whimper of someone— anyone— alive. Jaebum sprinted towards the noise, turning the corner and nearly falling over a hunched, shaking figure. He dropped down, wrapping his arms around Jackson’s broad form. 

“Jackson-ah, come on, my love. We can’t stay here.”

The alpha tried to pull the beta up but the younger resisted, clinging on tighter to the small body in his arms. “Eomma,” he cried, rocking the limp body of his mother back and forth. “Eomma!”

Jaebum wanted to cry for his mate. Wanted to hold him and soothe him and make all of his pain go away. But now wasn’t the time. He could hear the building around them crumbling as the fire continued to lick at the support pillars. “I know baby,” he soothed, pulling at Jackson’s shoulders. “I’m sorry. But we can’t stay here, Jackson. Baby, your eomma is dead but you’re still alive. I’m still alive. But we won’t be if we stay here.” Jackson shook his head. “Bambam-ah is out there waiting for us, Jackson,” he tried again. “We need to go. We can’t leave our omega all alone.”

“I  _ can’t _ ,” the younger cried. “I can’t leave her. Go, hyung.  _ Please. _ ”

Jaebum sighed, coughing as he inhaled too much of the smoke in that breath. “Fine then. You want to play that game?” He let go of the beta before moving to sit down across from him. “Then you’re going to watch me die too. And you’re going to die with the knowledge that you left  _ our _ omega out there to die on his own too.”

Jackson stared at his alpha in shock, gasping through his sobs as he gaped at Jaebum in horror. “Hyung— you can’t—”

“I will, Jackson-ah. You decide. Right here. Right now. We all die or none of us die.”

The beta froze, glaring at his alpha as he debated the other’s resolve. The building around them gave a terrifying shudder, spurring the younger into action. He set his mother to the side, ripping off her necklace before grabbing Jaebum’s arm and hauling the alpha up. Jackson fought his way through the flames, keeping a tight hold on the elder as they broke through the burning rubble. 

Bambam released a relieved cry as the two staggered out, sprinting over to them and enveloping them both in a tight hug. “Hyungs!” he cried, pressing close. 

Jackson released Jaebum to pick the younger up and take him further from the fire. He collapsed under the giant willow, settling the omega in his lap as he watched his home burn to the ground. Jaebum made his way over, swallowing thickly as he settled behind Jackson, bracing the younger between his legs as he held both of his mates to his chest. Jackson turned his head, ducking to hide his face in Jaebum’s neck. 

“Hyung,” he whimpered, clinging to Bambam tighter. “Our families— our  _ home _ .”

“I know, babies,” the alpha murmured, closing his eyes against his tears. “I know. I’m so sorry, angels.” He rubbed his nose against Bambam’s, relishing in the apples he could faintly smell under all of the smoke. Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes, making Jaebum stand up in alarm. His two mates quickly followed, staggering onto unsteady feet as they clung to each other, knowing better than to get between their alpha and danger. 

“Hyung?” Jackson asked wearily. 

“We need to go,” the alpha stated, reaching behind to grab at both of his mates. “The humans are still here— looking for survivors.” Quickly, he pulled the other two into the surrounding forest, letting the thick foliage camouflage them from the bloodthirsty humans. They trekked through the woods for a while before they took shelter under an overhang near the river just as the skies opened up and released a torrential rain storm. 

Jaebum sat down on the hard earth, tucking each of his mates against his side as he finally allowed himself to release a bit of the anguish bubbling up inside of him. His parents— his grandfather— all gone in moments. He was aware of the negotiations their pack alpha, his father, had been working on with the local human village. From everything his father had said, the humans had responded positively. 

Clearly not. 

He swallowed. Closing his eyes as he thought of his father’s smiling, hopeful face moments before their world had caught on fire.

_ “You’re going to make an excellent pack alpha one day,” _ his father had said; so happy; so proud. But he didn’t  _ want it _ . Jaebum had never wanted the responsibility of pack alpha and tonight and only proved it. He wanted to throttle himself because of his own foolishness. How could he have thought sacrificing himself was a good tactic to make Jackson listen to him. He should have alpha’ed up and dragged the beta from the wreckage kicking and screaming. He should have gone back and tried to search for more survivors. He should have sensed the humans incoming and stopped them before they ever attacked. 

He didn’t want this. 

He didn’t want this responsibility. 

And he didn’t want the guilt that came with it.

He just wanted his father. 

He wanted to go home.

Jaebum had left Jackson and Bambam at the river, promising to be back before the sun passed it’s highest point. He was scouting out what was left of their home; checking for any straggling humans, looking for any possible lone survivors, counting their dead. He trampled through the rubble, bare feet crunching under the soggy ashes as he searched for something— anything. 

He released a high pitched keening noise as he caught sight of a wrist— charred around the edges, packmark directly over the veins and claiming bite encircling it. Jaebum dropped down next to his mother, holding her ice cold hand as he sobbed into the ground. 

He’s not sure how much time he lost before he heard a trembling voice mumble, “What in the hell happened here?” 

Jaebum shot up, already half shifted as he growled threateningly at the invaders. He was met with a small, soft face on an equally small and soft body. Omega. 

“Hey— settle down, pup,” the omega crooned, moving slowly towards the enraged alpha. “We’re not here to hurt you. Hmm? Let hyungs help you, yeah? I’m sorry about your pack, sweetheart— so sorry. I know you’re scared, but you’re safe now, alright?”

The alpha panted heavily, instincts still on high alert even as his brain caught up with the strange omega’s words. 

“There we go,” the omega cooed, taking another step towards Jaebum. “That’s a good pup. You’re doing so well— such a brave alpha.” He took another step, now directly in front of the hunched over alpha. “Hyung is going to hug you now, alright, pup? You’re not alone. Hyung’s got you.” The omega reached forward, carefully pulling Jaebum into his small, firm chest. The alpha stood frozen for a few moments before he collapsed into the elder wolf’s chest, letting out great big sobs in the safety of this stranger. “That’s it. Good pup. Let it out. Hyung’s got you.”

The omega slowly lowered them to the ground, comically pulling the larger alpha into his lap as he soothed the wolf. It was silent for a while, with the exception of the omega’s soft, comforting crooning and Jaebum’s gasping sobs. He did, eventually, get a hold of himself enough to pull away from the omega long enough to inspect his surroundings. He released a near-feral growl when he spotted the two alphas sitting a few meters from his person, quickly flipping his position to crouch protectively over the omega. 

“You’re alright, pup,” the taller of the two alphas soothed, holding his hands out, palms up, in front of him in a placating gesture. “We’re not going to hurt you. We just want to help.”

Behind him, the omega cautiously brought his hand down to rest on his spine. “Those are my alphas, angel. They’re safe. You’re safe.” He tugged lightly on the back of Jaebum’s charred hanbok, encouraging the younger alpha to settle back into his lap. “That’s a good pup,” he praised as Jaebum finally relaxed some. “My name is Mark. What’s your name?”

He swallowed, glancing over to the two alphas again before mumbling a quiet, “Jaebum.”

“Jaebum— that’s a lovely name. That’s Wonho and Shownu. I think it’s safe to assume we’re all your hyungs. Can you tell me what happened?”

Jaebum shook, turning to hide himself against the small omega. “Humans. We— we thought— we thought we had made an agreement with them but— but they attacked us while we were sleeping. My pack— they—” He broke down into sobs again, clinging to the omega desperately. He felt a large hand at his back, the soothing smell of peppermint invading his senses as one of the alphas bracketed him from behind. Surprisingly, having a strange alpha touching him did not trigger his instincts like it normally would have. 

He kept clinging to Mark, letting himself be comforted by the omega and alpha until he was interrupted by a quiet, terrified, “ _ Hyung _ ?”

The alpha shot up, scrubbing at his face as he stared at Bambam’s shaking form as he clung to an equally trembling Jackson. Jaebum stepped away from the strange wolves, opening his arms for the other two who wasted no time in wrapping themselves around their alpha.

“Hyung?” Jackson whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the alpha’s scent gland. “You didn’t come back. Are— are you alright? Do— I’ll fight them if they hurt you.”

Jaebum released a wet laugh, pulling the beta closer to him. “I’m alright, Jackson-ah. These wolves were just passing through— saw me having a bit of a breakdown and decided to help.” He kissed Jackson’s cheek fondly before doing the same to Bambam. “Thank you, baby.”

“Are you— are you all that’s left?” Wonho asked, taking a few cautious steps towards the trio. 

Bambam nodded, eyeing the alpha hopefully. “Unless you’ve seen any other wolves?” At Wonho’s head shake, he dropped his own in despair, clinging tighter to Jaebum. 

“Aish— hyung,” Mark admonished, “We can’t leave these babies by themselves.”

Shownu smiled softly, ruffling the omega’s hair. “When did I ever say we were going to do that, Mark-ah?” he asked, kissing the younger’s cheek. “Hmm? We’ll take care of them.”

Mark hummed happily, giving his pack alpha a kiss as a reward before skipping over to the trio of wolves and pressing in close to Bambam’s back. “Aish, you’re shaking sweetheart,” he cooed, wrapping his arms softly around the other omega’s waist. “Hyung’s got you, come ‘ere.”

The younger omega fell easily into Mark’s embrace as Shownu and Wonho came up as well, each taking a younger wolf into their arms. The pack alpha wasted no time in pulling Jaebum to his neck, bending down to inhale a large portion of the smaller male’s spicy orange scent in the process. He hummed happily, petting Jaebum’s hair softly as he felt the younger melt against his chest with little resistance. “Good pup,” he hummed, kissing the top of the boy’s head as he led Jaebum away from the rubble. He heard shuffling behind him that indicated his packmates were doing the same thing with the other two wolves. 

Shownu followed the trail of spicy orange, melons, and apples back to a small overhang near the river, quickly settling himself down on the hard earth and pulling the alpha into his lap. Wonho settled next to him, happily wrapping his arms around Jackson’s waist as he settled the younger between his thighs. His omega stood at the lip of the roof, hugging Bambam’s back as he rested his cheek on the taller’s bicep. 

“Look at our wolves, pup,” he cooed, gently rubbing the younger’s stomach. He leaned up to press a kiss to the other’s chin before leading him further into the alcove and settling them in between the four other wolves. The omega hummed happily, nuzzling into Bambam’s neck. “Introductions are in order, I think,” he declared, resting his chin on the younger omega’s shoulder. “My name is Mark but you all can call me hyung— unless any of you were born before the 1000’s?”

All three of the new wolves shook their head, looking at the elder as if he had lost his mind. Shownu laughed, pressing his face in between Jaebum’s shoulder blades to muffle the sound. 

“Well,” Wonho started, smiling widely, “While our alpha is composing himself— I’m Wonho. I’m also your hyung but the youngest of the three of us.”

Mark cooed, reaching over to squeeze the alpha’s cheek, “Our big, strong maknae.”

“I am called Shownu,” the alpha offered once his laughter subsided, rubbing his thumbs in little circles on Jaebum’s hips. “I’m the alpha of our pack. Please call me hyung.”

“Jackson,” the beta offered sleepily, nose buried in the alpha’s neck. “Tha’s Bammie. He’s our maknae.”

Mark smiled widely, pressing a kiss to Bambam’s cheek. “Such sweet pups,” he praised. “You must be so tired, babies.”

Shownu hummed in agreement, pulling a few spare hanboks from their rucksack to use as a makeshift nest. He spread them out over the ground, causing Mark to chirp in happiness before laying down on top of the fabric, pulling Bambam with him. The omega tucked Bambam against his chest, opening his other arm for Wonho to shuffle Jackson into Mark’s side as the alpha stood up. The pack alpha followed suit, tucking Jaebum snugly against Bambam’s back. He sat next to the younger, rubbing his back for a few minutes before standing up again. 

“You going back to the village?” Mark asked quietly as he ran his fingers through Jackon’s hair. 

Wonho nodded, lacing his fingers with Shownu’s tightly. “Yeah. You’ll stay with the babies?” Mark smiled widely, nodding his head. “That’s a good omega,” he praised. “We’ll be back by nightfall.”

Jaebum turned to look at the two elder alphas in confusion, moving to sit up before Mark gently pulled him back down. “Hyungs will take care of everything, Jaebum-ah. Please rest.” The younger slowly allowed himself to be pulled back into a horizontal position, eyeing the alphas wearily as they waved goodbye.

The sound of Jaebum’s light footfalls alerted the alphas to his approach as he ran after them, catching up quickly, “I should be helping, too,” he argued, “These are my people.”

Shownu sighed, reaching up to ruffle the younger’s hair fondly. “You should be taking care of your pack, Jaebum-ah.”

That seemed to be the breaking point for Jaebum as he collapsed to the forest floor in tears, pulling at his hair in distress. “I  _ can’t _ . I can’t do this... I can’t take care of a pack. I wasn’t meant for this, hyung. How— how can I take care of my pack? I’m not— I’m not a pack leader.  _ I can’t be.  _ I don’t know what to  _ do. _ ”

The elder wolf dropped down onto the ground, quickly enveloping the smaller wolf into his arms, “Oh Jaebum-ah.” He pulled the alpha into his lap, gently tugging the boy’s hands away from his hair and handing them to Wonho, who had dropped down to crouch next to them, to hold before leading Jaebum’s head to his scent gland. “You’re not alone, sweetheart. You misunderstood me. I don’t expect you to lead your pack. I just wanted you to rest with them and comfort them. The three of you have been through a great ordeal and you need time to heal. I know Mark’s scent is comforting but it’s not familiar to your wolves. They need their alpha.” He rocked the sobbing wolf in his arms gently, feeling Wonho lean forward to envelope Jaebum’s open side.

“We’re not planning on leaving you alone, Jaebum-ah,” Wonho reassured, kissing down the knobs of the younger’s spine. “Not unless you tell us too— and even then, we’ll probably be hard pressed to go.”

Jaebum sniffed, cautiously rubbing his cheek against Shownu’s neck, making the elder hum happily. “That’s a good pup. Hyungs are proud of you. You’ve done so well so please rest and let hyungs take care of you alright?” 

The younger nodded, feeling Wonho move from his back before he was picked up, making him startle. “You’re alright, Jaebum-ah. Hyung’s got you,” Wonho murmured, pulling the younger closer to his chest in his bridal hold. “Just close your eyes.”

The wolf did as he was told, hooking his arms around the elder’s neck as he felt himself begin to move. He buried his head in Wonho’s chest, breathing in his sweet cinnamon scent in hearty mouthfuls. 

They quickly made their way back to the alcove, carefully depositing the exhausted alpha in among the pile of limbs. “We’ll be back before sundown,” Shownu stated, bending down to press a soft kiss to Mark’s lips. “Baby, would you start a fire before we get back? We’ll bring something to eat back with us.”

Mark nodded, smiling fondly at his mate from his place among the mass of limbs where he was petting Jackson’s hair as the beta drowsily looked off into middle distance. The two elder alphas waved, making their way back to the destroyed village.

“We’re keeping them, right hyung?” Wonho asked, threading his fingers through his alpha’s as they walked.

Shownu laughed loudly, squeezing the hand in his fondly. “You think Mark-ah would leave them after today? Yes, we’re keeping them. They’re ours, Wonho-ah. We’ll take care of them.”

Wonho smiled. “You know this means I’m no longer the maknae, right?”

The elder giggled, bending over to press a soft kiss to the younger’s cheek. “Yes. And you’ll make a wonderfully attentive hyung, Wonho-ah.”

#  1432 - A Second Chance

Death shouldn’t hurt this much. Namjoon was certain of that much, at least. His home was destroyed, covered in blood and deep, animalistic gouges in the wood of the village homes. He gasped, feeling the cavernous wound pulse against the skin of his side. The wolves that had attacked his village hadn’t left much in the way of survivors. He could hear his neighbor crying out into the night, half of his leg ripped off by sharp teeth; a little girl sobbing down the street, unable to speak where her throat had been torn apart; the halmeoni in the house next to him gasping for breath as the infection set in, her old heart unable to take the change. Namjoon grasped at the dirt under his fingers as he tried to crawl to shelter, something— anything— to hide himself from the rogue wolf pack. 

The human had grown up on the tales of wolves and packs, rumored to be supernaturally strong and have heightened senses, able to shift into larger-than-life wild animals. They were told to be relatively peaceful creatures as long as they weren’t provoked. 

These wolves— these wolves were nothing like Halmeoni’s tales. They were vicious and bloodthirsty as they tore apart his village for their own amusement. He swallowed down the sobs threatening to bubble up his throat, pulling himself into the crawl space of his neighbor’s front deck. 

He could feel the wolf in his mind. He was raging, furious, as he sensed his newly turned wolves he had left back in Namjoon’s village. The wolf was coming back and Namjoon was terrified. Surely, the alpha wolf was going to kill him because the wolf had never intended to turn anyone. Now he was going to clean house. 

Namjoon shook, his whole body trembling in fear as he fell into a fever induced sleep, unable to keep himself conscious any longer. 

The newly-turned wolf was awoken by a sharp pain in his head, his whole body being dragged out from his hiding place by his hair. He gasped, arms shooting up to grapple at the claws pulling him. The wolf threw him away from him the second he was in the open, Namjoon rolling painfully across the grass. He groaned, trying to crawl away from the enraged alpha uselessly. The alpha lept on top of him, sitting on his legs as he ripped what was left of Namjoon’s tunic away from his body, spitting into the boy’s pack bite. 

The alpha grinned viciously, showing off his sharp canines as he dragged a claw down Namjoon’s sternum. He teased the open wound, his claw digging painfully into Namjoon’s bite mark, making the younger scream, thrashing uselessly underneath the alpha, before opening his hand and ripping through the pack bond, severing all ties to the newly turned wolf.

Namjoon was certain that this was the worst pain a person could go through, the physical and mental laceration that ripped through him simultaneously melted his mind, the alpha cackling as he finally got off of him. The newly turned wolf whimpered, unable to move as the alpha sent a harsh kick to his side before abandoning him to pardon the rest of the wolves he had created. He could hear the alpha’s pack hollering excitedly, trampling through Namjoon’s destroyed town as if it were a playground. His neighbors’ cries cut off one by one as the alpha pardoned them, most of them too old or weak to survive the pardon. If Namjoon was honest with himself, he probably wouldn’t survive either— especially if he stayed there. 

He grasped at the ground with his good arm, cradling the other to his wounded side as he carefully pushed himself up. He ground his teeth as he got himself standing. The wolves were still rambunctious further in the village and Namjoon prayed they stayed that way for a while longer. He could feel the blood leaking sluggishly from his wound as he began to stagger towards the treeline of the village. 

He felt delirious from the pain as he limped from tree to tree, heading deeper into the forest and away from the homicidal werewolves. It was nighttime, nearly a new moon with no light to guide him as he stumbled through the overgrowth. Namjoon wasn’t sure how far he had gone by the time he collapsed against a large tree, curling up on his good side as he stared into the darkness. He was at least far enough away that his surroundings were blessedly quiet, the wolves no longer in range for him to hear their hungry growls as they tore his friends apart. He closed his eyes as the pardoning packbite throbbed painfully. 

This was as good a place to die as any. 

At least he couldn’t hear any more screams.

Namjoon woke suddenly, his body jerking violently as a stick snapped near his head. He whimpered, curling into himself tighter. “Please,” he begged, voice barely above a whisper. He wasn’t sure what he was begging for— mercy? a swift death? At this point he wasn’t sure it mattered as long as he could finally rest. 

“Oh god,” a soft voice murmured as the scent of juniper berries invaded his senses. The voice was angelic, melodious and Namjoon was certain that it was an angel, ready to take him away. “What— fuck,” Namjoon bit his lip, not wanting to laugh at the angel in front of him but the idea of such a heavenly being swearing so openly was rather amusing to his, admittedly over-stressed, brain. 

He blinked his tired eyes squinting at the ethereal being now crouched in front of him. The man was gorgeous— small in stature, soft, smooth skin, and the most unusual bright pink hair that fell into his eyes teasingly. He reached up with blood stained fingers, lightly brushing the smaller man’s cheeks. “Pretty—” he mumbled, “Like ‘n angel.”

The man laughed, cupping Namjoon’s cheeks between his palms. “Oh— you’re a charmer, aren’t you, handsome?” He moved his hands down to rest lightly on the wolf’s abdomen. “Let’s see what we can do here.” Suddenly, the man’s hand began to glow a soft white and the air around his wound heated up, making him whimper. “Shh, I know, sweetheart,” he cooed, “I’ll be done soon, stay strong for hyung, okay? Can you tell me your name, beautiful?”

“Namjoon,” he gasped out. “Your hair is— like an allium. How—”

The witch laughed softly, brushing the wolf’s bangs back with the hand not currently creating fire under his skin. “Magic, my dear,” he replied, smiling softly. “I’m a witch. My name is Kihyun.” The light receded as Kihyun pulled his hand away frowning at what he saw. “That’ll have to do for now. I’m afraid you’ll have to walk a bit until we get back to my home. I don’t think I can fully carry you, but you can lean on me. Once we get back to my cottage, Jinyoung, my partner, can help me heal you more. You’ll be back to tip-top shape in no time, Namjoon-ah.”

Namjoon nodded, trying to shoot Kihyun an appreciative smile as he accepted the hand in front of him. “Thank you, Kihyun-ssi.”

“Ah! That’s hyung to you, Namjoon-ah. I’ve seen you half naked— that makes us friends,” Kihyun scolded playfully, wrapping his tiny arm around the wolf’s waist as he did his best to hold the muscled man upright. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s get going. On the way, you can tell me what happened to you, yeah?”

The wolf grasped at the smaller male tightly as they began to walk, slowly explaining the events that had occurred earlier on in the night.

Kihyun led them up to a small stone cottage, kicking the door with his foot as he held up an exhausted Namjoon with both of his arms.

“What are you kicking the door for, hyung?” An annoyed voice called, coming to the door and ripping it open. “Did you forget how to use your— oh— fuck. Come in.” The other witch grabbed for Namjoon, helping Kihyun support his weight as they led him over to the cushions by the hearth. 

“He was attacked by werewolves,” Kihyun explained, brushing his hands down Namjoon’s abs before hovering over the would.

The other witch sucked in a startled breath, taking a step back. “Why would you bring him  _ here _ , Kihyun-hyung? They’re going to come collect!”

Kihyun shook his head, showing the other witch Namjoon’s abdomen. “No they won’t, Jinyoung-ah. His alpha pardoned him right after changing him. The wolves who turned him assume he’s dead— and he will be if we don’t heal him.”

Jinyoung swallowed nervously, eyeing up the wolf in distrust before slowly nodding his head. “Alright. Alright, hyung. Let’s get to work.”

Namjoon felt warm— and sticky. He groaned, peeling open his eyelids as he examined his surroundings. He was still laying on the cushions in front of the hearth, however, the fire had burnt down to embers, crackling softly. He still lacked a shirt, the source of the stickiness becoming apparent as he glanced down at his chest. 

“Aloe,” a voice explained near his head. He jerked his head to stare at Jinyoung in shock, groaning as the movement caused a sharp pain to ricochet through his body. “Aish,” the witch scolded. “Don’t move, you dumb wolf. You’re healing. Don’t make all of my hard work go to waste. Stay still and rest. Kihyun-hyung will be in with some breakfast soon.”

The wolf nodded hesitantly, eyeing the witch closely. “Are all witches as beautiful as you and Kihyun-hyung?” 

Jinyoung burst into giggles, covering his mouth as he smiled fondly. “Ah— you really are a charmer, hyung wasn’t kidding.” He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Namjoon’s forehead. “We’re gonna have to keep our eyes on you, aren’t we?”

He looked away, head foggy too foggy to form a coherent sentence that wasn’t inherently embarrassing. “I’m sorry, Jinyoung-ssi.”

“Ah! That’s hyung to you,” the elder sang, smiling widely. “I finally have a dongsaeng. Don’t take this moment away from me, Namjoon-ah.” He booped Namjoon’s nose, humming in delight when the wolf scrunched his nose in confusion. 

“I’ve never had hyungs before,” he confessed, leaning into Jinyoung’s hand when the elder cupped his cheek. 

The witch hummed thoughtfully, carefully laying down next to Namjoon on his good side. “Well now you have two of them, puppy. Neither of us have cared for a werewolf though so we’ll all learn together, okay?” 

Namjoon nodded, letting the elder tuck his head into his chest. “I’m scared, hyung. My brain is mush— like— like everything is out of focus and I’m scared that— I don’t want to hurt anyone. And there’s this— this part of me that— that just—  _ needs _ you and Kihyun-hyung. Like— I’ve never felt anything like it before.“ 

Jinyoung hummed, petting Namjoon’s hair softly. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, Namjoon-ah. Trust your wolf. And trust your hyungs to look after you. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

Jinyoung’s strong honeysuckle scent enveloped Namjoon, making him hum contentedly. “Thank you. I’ll do my best to take care of hyungs too.”

#  1515 - Pulled Under

Minhyuk loved magic. He loved watching it float around his coven’s home like fairy dust and he loved using it: turning one thing to another, creating something out of nothing. He liked being useful— helping people with his magic. Not everyone in his coven enjoyed helping people, however, many of them danced on the thin line between grey and black magic. Minhyuk was strictly a green witch; he worked with plants and animals, using what the earth gave them to bring harmony. Many of his covenmates mocked him for his magic, but he never let their words bother him so long as at the end of the day he could sleep soundly with the knowledge that he had made a small piece of the world a better place.

He was rudely awoken one night from a deep sleep by his mother shaking his shoulder frantically. “ _ Come, _ ” she hissed, “ _ Hurry. Come, Minhyuk-ah. _ ” She pulled at him until he stood up, hastily following his mother as she led him outside. When he asked what was going on, she simply pushed him forwards faster. They reached their coven’s altar outbuilding in record time, his mother ushering him in. He looked around in confusion, seeing the rest of his coven standing around a ritual circle. Before he could react, Minhyuk was hit in the chest with a paralyzing jinx, falling to the ground hard.

“I’m sorry, my little sun,” she murmured affectionately, petting back his hair before grabbing him under his armpits and dragging him backwards into the center of the circle. “But we need your power.” She bent down, kissing his cheek affectionately. “It’s alright though, my angel. Eomma found a way to drain your magic without killing you. You’ll still be eomma’s sweet little boy.”

She backed up, threading her fingers through her wife’s as their covenhead began to drain him. He wanted to scream— fight back— beg— anything— but he couldn’t move, couldn’t make a sound. Minhyuk’s magic burned as it was pulled from him, gripping to the insides of his veins like thorns, desperate to stay with its host. The magic left behind a trail of ice in its wake as his body began to shut down. 

He was barely conscious when his mother came up to him, careful to keep her feet out of the circle as she tipped a cup into his mouth, forcing a potion like liquid fire down his throat. The jinx lifted just as the last of his magic was stolen from him. Instead of dying, turning into a husk, his body jerked, curling in on itself as fire raged tenfold through his veins. Minhyuk could hear screaming, loud and piercing, and he wondered if there was someone else dying along with him before he realized that it was probably his own screams he was hearing. 

Darkness slowly engulfed him as unconsciousness dragged him under, the one positive thing about this whole night.

Minhyuk’s head felt like it was about to explode. Everything was fuzzy and he couldn’t move his limbs. He could hear his mother and his covenhead talking above him, muted and distorted as if there were a few layers between them.

_ “The notes didn’t say... too powerful... have to... Minhyuk’s gone... nothing we can do... take him to the water.” _

He could hear his mother crying before there was loud banging like a nail going through wood with a hammer. Minhyuk winced as he swallowed, his throat parched and burning from thirst. He tried to open his eyes, only to be met with darkness. The boy tried to reach out to feel in front of him but his hands didn’t budge, coarse rope wrapped around his torso multiple times keeping his arms pinned to his side. The panic began to rise in his chest, bubbling up in his throat and getting caught behind the hasty gag shoved into his mouth. Whatever he was in began to move, tipping him backwards so that his body slid towards his head which in turn slammed against a wooden wall. He groaned behind his gag, feeling himself scrunch as much as he could against the gravity in what must be a wooden box of some sort. He could smell the bamboo surrounding him, the rough texture under his fingertips, and the hollow thunking every time the box hit something. 

Minhyuk squirmed nervously, trying to make noise beyond his gag, begging to be let out, for help—  _ anything _ . His coven had stopped talking, the only noise being the constant dragging of the box across the dirt and the steady sound of the waves crashing against the sand. He whimpered as the soft pulling through the dirt turned to the rough, loud scraping of wood on wood as his box was dragged down the pier. He kicked frantically, trying desperately to break out as he reached into his core to try to grasp at any wisp of his magic that might have been left over from their draining.

His box was set down roughly, his head cracking against the wood painfully. There was sobbing, his mother if he had to guess, and soft words of comfort. “Rest, my little sun,” she cried. “Eomma will always love you. Sleep now.”

_ I’m not dead! _ He screamed, jerking frantically in his bonds.  _ I’m right here! I’m alive! _

The box began to move, scraping against the deck as they began to push him over the edge. Water burials were tradition in his coven for husks. When a member was drained of their magic and died, they weighted their coffin and dropped them into the ocean. It was a rite of passage, like Minhyuk’s father and uncle before him, but he  _ wasn’t dead yet _ . The box tipped, falling into the icy sea making him gasp as his coffin dropped below the surface of the water. He had seconds before the water began to push in between the cracks of the wood, slowly filling his prison. Air was difficult to take in as he gasped through his tears, the rope feeling like barbed wire as it dug into his skin. He was still upside down, water falling down onto his head rapidly as his whole body contorted in the box. It wasn’t  _ fair! _ His mother had promised. Why would she go back on that? Why were they treating him like he was dead? They had to have heard him from outside of the coffin. 

He cried, inhaling water as it drowned him. Minhyuk didn’t want to die— not like this. He had so much that he had wanted to do. He closed his eyes, choking around the water in his lungs. Surprisingly, it didn’t burn like he had heard drowning did. His chest was uncomfortably tight, the lack of air pressing against his rib cavity but it didn’t hurt. By this point, his coffin was completely filled with water. He felt the thud as it hit the ocean floor. 

Minhyuk was still upside down, still tied up, and, despite the gallon of water inside of him, still  _ thirsty _ . 

And, most importantly, he wasn’t  _ drowning _ . 

Was he dead?

Was this what hell was— being trapped inside of your body and forced to watch yourself decay?

He felt his tears start anew, disappearing into the water around him as he floated in the unending darkness.

#  1523 - Above the Surface

Hoseok’s magic was acting... strange. Sure he had been on his own for a while— covenless— but still. His magic was—  _ pulling _ . He had been fighting the pull for nearly a decade, his magic always bringing him back to the same pier on the beaches of Busan. Hoseok didn’t understand why he needed to be here but after ten years of his magic begging for him to come here, he finally decided to listen. 

Now that he was at the water, his magic was raging, begging for... something. Hoseok groaned, dropping down into a crouch as he gripped his hair painfully. What was he  _ doing _ here? 

_ Help. _

The witch jerked, nearly falling into the water as a voice that was very much not his own echoed through his head. 

“Hello?” he whispered, staring into the moonlit water as if something were about to jump out at him. “Is someone here?”

_ Please help.  _

He shivered, eyes wide in terror as he cautiously asked, “How? Where— where are you?”

_ Not dead. I’m not dead. Please help. Not dead. Eomma please. I’m not dead. Drowning. Drowning. I don’t want to die. Please. _

“Are— are you... in the water?” Hoseok asked, shivering. “Oh god— am I talking to a ghost?”

_ Not dead. Was dead— maybe? I’m not sure. I’m not dead. So thirsty. Who are you? _

Hoseok swallowed nervously, biting his lip as he debated whether or not to answer the voice. His magic made the choice for him, however, when he felt his mouth move without his consent. “I am Hoseok. What’s your name?”

_ Minhyuk. Please help me. I’m trapped. The water is so cold. Get me out. Please. I’m so thirsty. _

The witch stared at the water in front of him in horror, slowly standing up as he brought his hands out in front of him. His magic hummed happily, reaching out into the water before he could tell it to. The water parted like a funnel draining the ocean away down to the sandy bottom where a pile of water damaged coffins laid. Without thinking about it, Hoseok reached down with his magic and pulled one of the coffins up onto the pier next to him, letting the water crash back down. He knelt down next to the coffin, laying his hand on the rotting wood. 

“Minhyuk-ssi?”

There was a sloshing thud against the wood and a low gurgle in response. 

“Fuck, okay. I’m pulling the lid off. What the fuck,” he mumbled, digging his fingers under the lip of the wooden lid and pried if off. He gasped, pulling one of the most beautiful men he had ever seen out of the water filled box by his shoulders. Hoseok carefully picked Minhyuk up, laying him on the slats of the pier. He pulled the rotting gag from the other’s mouth, tipping the man on his side as water spilled out of him. Hoseok worked on the ropes digging into the other’s skin, picking at the knots with shaky fingers as he watched Minhyuk with rapt attention. 

The other man’s eyes were open wide, alternating between staring at Hoseok in fascination and turning his head to cough up more water. “Thank you,” he rasped, coughing again as he took in his first breath of fresh air in nearly ten years. 

Hoseok stared at the other man worriedly as he pulled him up and into a sitting position, propping him up against his chest. “How— I mean— how are you alive?”

“Don’t know,” he mumbled, turning his head to mouth at Hoseok’s neck. “D’you smell coffee? I’m— so thirsty.” 

Before the witch could react, Minhyuk had dug his fangs into Hoseok’s skin. He grappled at the other, trying to pull him away with no success. The mouth against his neck pulled, dragging mouthfuls of blood from him as Minhyuk drank greedily. The vampire moaned around his neck, wrapping his arms around Hoseok tightly as he clung to the elder witch. 

“Minhyuk-ssi,” Hoseok gasped, grasping at the vampire’s shoulders. “Minhyuk-ssi!”

He felt lightheaded, pulling at the vampire’s hair now, trying to get the man to stop as his blinks got heavier. Just as he thought he would pass out, Minhyuk pulled away, staring at the witch in terror.

“I’m— I don’t know why— You taste like coffee?”

Hoseok let out a trembling laugh, reaching up to cup Minhyuk’s cheek with a shaky hand. “I didn’t know you were a vampire, Minhyuk-ssi.”

The vampire looked down, blinking back his tears, “Neither did I.” He leaned into Hoseok’s touch, gasping frantically. “Eomma— eomma’s coven drained me. She said— said I would come back but then I woke up in that box and—” 

“And they buried you anyways,” Hoseok finished solemnly. “I’ve heard of a few covens doing that to their witches. It’s— some kind of cure made from instant death but— no one’s recorded to have survived it before. At least not like they were anticipating. They come back as vampires.”

Minhyuk shook, Hoseok letting him drop his head back down to his neck as he sobbed. “I didn’t want this. I just— I just wanted my plants and my healing stones. I don't want to hurt anybody— I hurt you!”

“I forgive you, Minhyuk-ssi,” Hoseok murmured, running his fingers over top of Minhyuk’s matted mop of hair. “You’re alright. You stopped from killing on your first feeding. That’s more than most fledglings can accomplish.”

The elder frowned, digging his fingers into the witch’s hips. “I— shouldn’t my— my bloodlust or whatever have killed me by now?”

Hoseok brought his hand up to press against Minhyuk’s chest, spreading his fingers wide. “I think it might have been latent magic— it’s what drew me to you, after all. You must have had just enough after your ex-coven drained you to cocoon yourself from backlash,” the witch shrugged, giving him a bright, heart-shaped smile, “But honestly that’s just a guess. I’ve never seen anything like you before. ”

Minhyuk hummed pressing close to Hoseok. “Do you know how long I was down there?”

“It's October of 1523.”

The vampire whimpered, pressing close to Hoseok’s coffee scent. “It was 1515. It— it felt like a lifetime. And like no time at all. And— is my coven still around? I need to— Eomma— I—”

Hoseok hushed him softly, rocking the elder in his arms as he cried. “I don’t think you should go to your coven right now, Minhyuk-hyung. Why don’t I take you back to my home and we can get you all cleaned up; give you a nice haircut and some dry clothes.”

Minhyuk nodded slowly, “That would be nice, Hoseok-ah. Thank you.”

“It’ll be alright. We’ll figure this out together.”

#  1535 - Light from the Full Moon

Kihyun laughed, sending a few more fireflies to float around the clearing under the full moon. “Come on, Joon-ah,” he called, flopping back into the grass gracelessly. A large wolf jumped excitedly through the long grass, skidding to a stop just before he trampled Kihyun. Namjoon rolled over, displaying his belly for the witch who happily rubbed it before pressing his face into the soft fur. “Aish, Joonie. You still have all this energy? What are we going to do with you?”

Jinyoung laughed, gracefully dropping down next to the two. “Sweet puppy— you make me tired just looking at you. How are you still going?”

The wolf whined, rolling again to hide his nose under his paws as he looked up at the two witches in embarrassment. He was still for a moment before the playful glint returned and he yipped loudly, running at full speed to the other side of the clearing. “Aish,” Kihyun complained, moving to rest his head in Jinyoung’s lap as they watched the wolf play. “Our maknae always surprises me.”

The younger witch giggled, nodding his head as he played with Kihyun’s bright blue hair. He turned his head, watching as Namjoon jetted back to them again, leaping through the tall grass like a bunny. “Joon-ah,” he called, reaching out his hand. “Come drink something, my love.” Namjoon ran over, licking Jinyoung’s face affectionately before lapping at the bowl of water the witches had set out for him. “Aish, you brat,” Jinyoung complained as he wiped at his cheek in annoyance. “You’ll pay for that later, maknae.” 

Namjoon barked out in laughter before freezing, turning his head to stare off into the treeline. “Namjoon?” Kihyun called worriedly, sitting up to stare at the wolf in confusion. There was another rustle in the bushes before a large, imposing wolf stepped out from the treeline, making Namjoon take a hesitant step back before righting himself and standing tall between himself and his witches. Kihyun and Jinyoung both stood up in alarm, watching as five other wolves followed the first one out. Namjoon growled lowly, crouching down as he glared at intruding wolves. 

The largest wolf slowly lumbered up from the back of the pack, moving slowly and without aggression, as he made his way to stand in front of the lone beta. The wolf made a low crooning sound before bringing his head down to nuzzle against Namjoon’s, the beta standing frozen in front of him. Everyone was tense for a moment, watching with rapt attention, before Namjoon released a high pitched whine, flopping down onto the ground and displaying his belly. The wolf, an alpha, Kihyun assumed, growled approvingly before nuzzling Namjoon’s soft fur, sitting down next to him as he began to groom the lone wolf. Namjoon whined in confusion, moving to get up but found himself secured gently by the larger wolf’s paws. 

The rest of the wolves took that as an invitation, running through the clearing excitedly. The two smallest wolves tried to make their way to where the witches were before being scruffed by the other two larger ones, depositing them in a heap by the alpha and Namjoon. There was a soft rumbling that nearly resembled laughter coming from the alpha before Namjoon finally successfully wiggled out, sprinting over to his witches.

“You alright, Joonie?” Jinyoung whispered nervously, scratching behind their maknae’s ears fondly. Namjoon nodded his big head, lolling his tongue out of his mouth as he sent the two a toothy, wolfish smile. Their beta reached up, licking each of their necks in long strips before turning back to the wolf pack. The alpha’s stance relaxed, slowly making his way over to the two non-wolves and sniffling curiously. He hummed in satisfaction, before gently nudging the witches back onto the ground where he thoroughly groomed both of them, much to their disgust. 

Once the alpha was happy with his work he stepped back, nudging Namjoon towards the other wolves with his nose. They ran around the clearing, yipping and pouncing like puppies, until the sun finally brushed the horizon with early morning light. Namjoon ran back to the witches, who at this point, were nearly snoozing as they watched the wolves lethargically. He shifted back into human, rolling his shoulders as he dropped down next to their heads. 

“Hi, hyungs,” he whispered, brushing Kihyun’s hair away from the elder’s face. He leaned down, dropping soft kisses to each of their cheeks.

“Did you make some new friends, Joon-ah?” Jinyoung asked sleepily, slowly sitting up as he watched the wolves shift a few meters away from them. 

The wolf turned bright red, looking down at the ground as he picked at his pants. 

“My name is Shownu,” the tallest wolf answered. “And this is my pack. I’m sorry for intruding but I caught Joon’s scent and I needed to see him for myself.”

“Don’t forget the juniper berry and honeysuckle,” another wolf, tall and buff, sang, wrapping his arm around the pack alpha’s shoulders. “The two of your scents were just as enticing as Joon’s ginger.”

Namjoon rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, shifting to open the space for the wolves on the ground in front of them who happily took the invitation. “Namjoon. I’m Kim Namjoon.”

The buff alpha grinned widely, scooting forward to cup the beta’s cheeks as he squealed. “Aish, you’re such an adorable little beta.”

“Beta?” he asked, cocking his head slightly in confusion. 

Shownu crawled forward, pulling Namjoon into his lap. “You’re a beta, Namjoon-ah. Did you not know that?”

Kihyun frowned, crossing his arms defensively. “Joon-ah’s never had a wolf to explain anything to him and we’ve never had a wolf before him.”

The alpha frowned sadly, tucking Namjoon’s head into his shoulder, releasing some of his peppermint scent. “You’ve never had an alpha, Namjoon-ah?”

The beta clutched at his side, where his pack bite still stung every once in a while. “I did— for a few hours, I think. It was— everything from that night is a bit foggy.”

Mark sucked in a breath, crawling over to the beta urgently as he nuzzled into the younger’s back. “You’re turned,” he whispered, pressing his sweet caramel scent into Namjoon’s clothing. “Oh you poor, sweet baby. What kind of alpha would turn a pup and then leave him to fend for himself?”

Namjoon shrugged, leaning heavily against Shownu’s chest. “I don’t think I was supposed to live,” he admitted, closing his eyes at the gasps that echoed around him. 

“Well I’m very thankful that you did, sweetheart,” the pack alpha murmured. He turned to Jackson, “Baby, would you catch us something?” 

The other beta nodded excitedly, jumping to his feet before bounding off into the treeline. 

“We— we have food back at our cottage,” Jinyoung stuttered, staring at where the wolf disappeared with wide eyes. 

Jaebum laughed, reaching over to scoop the small witch into his lap. “I’m sure you do, sweetheart. Jackson-ah needs the extra time to run off his excess energy— and he’s a beta— that means he’s a peacemaker and he likes to provide. Hunting is one of the ways he feels most fulfilled.” 

Namjoon hummed against the alpha, nodding his head slightly; he could relate with that. Over the past hundred years with the witches he and his wolf had come to an agreement that they would care for their hyungs until their dying breath. 

“So— a beta is a classification?” Kihyun asked, unconsciously relaxing against Wonho who had crept up behind him and pulled the small witch into his lap. 

Mark and Bambam quickly crawled forward, cuddling up against their alphas as they took turns scenting the witches. “It is. Wolves treat the classifications as kind of a second gender,” Mark explained, threading his fingers through Kihyun’s. “Bambam and I are omegas. We’re born smaller, weaker, but more agile. Female omegas are more fertile while males tend to be more affectionate than our counterparts. We’re the ones that run the home and keep the pack progressing in the right direction.”

“Shownu-hyung, Wonho-hyung, and Jaebum-hyung are alphas. That means they’re protectors. They're the largest and strongest of wolves,” Bambam continued. “Alphas are leaders and caretakers of the pack.”

Jinyoung hummed, closing his eyes as Jaebum began to rub up and down his spine soothingly. “So— Joon-ah. He— He needs a pack?” 

The alpha wrapped around him nodded. “Wolves— especially turned ones— need a pack— more specifically, they need an alpha— to nourish the growth of their wolf. The fact that Namjoon-ah is as large as he is says a tremendous amount about the support the two of you must have given him since turning. He’s definitely smaller than he should be for a beta, but he’s not as small as he could be, especially for a turned wolf.” He pressed his cheek against Jinyoung’s hair affectionately. 

Kihyun nodded in understanding, trying to muffle a yawn behind his hand. 

“Ah, Kihyun-hyung,” Namjoon whined, turning to face the witches. “You and Jinyoung-hyung should be asleep by now. I’m sorry.”

The older wolves cooed, Shownu reaching up to stroke his cheekbone affectionately. He stood up, keeping the beta firmly in his grasp, making the younger yelp as he latched on tighter. Wonho and Jaebum followed suit, holding the witches to their chests as if they were babies. Disgruntled, Kihyun wiggled in Wonho’s hold, trying to get down. 

Wonho giggled, bouncing him slightly as he began to follow his pack alpha, not allowing the witch free use of his legs. “Let hyung carry you, Kihyun-ah. Just rest, we’ll take care of you.”

Kihyun sighed, pouting as he let his cheek flop onto Wonho’s wide shoulder. “I hope you don’t expect me to always listen to you,” he chided sleepily. “When I’m more awake you’ll see. I don’t fold so easily.”

The elder laughed loudly, his entire body shaking as he continued to walk, making Kihyun grumble. 

Mark and Bambam skipped between the three with their fingers interlaced. “This is going to be a thing, isn’t it, hyung?” Bambam asked, peering around Jaebum’s shoulder to catch a glimpse of the already sleeping Jinyoung. “Us finding scents that our wolves like and keeping them.”

The elder omega giggled, squeezing Bambam’s hand tightly. “It’s how packs are naturally formed, maknae. It’s weird that our wolves imprinted on witches though. Makes me wonder, you know... if, one day, we’ll imprint on other species as well.”

“I hope not a vampire,” Wonho murmured, shaking his head slightly, “They’re terrifying.”

“Have you ever seen one, hyung?” Namjoon asked, lifting his head up curiously.

“No. And I don’t want to, thank you very much.”

The pack fell into giggles, following a well worn path back to the witches’ cottage. Jackson sprinted up to the pack, an elk thrown over his shoulder. “Is this your house? It’s very nice,” he complimented, making his way over to the fire pit in their front yard. 

“Can we enter your home, sweetheart,” Shownu asked, rubbing Namjoon’s back softly. The beta nodded his head, reaching out to place his hand on the wood of the door to unlock it. “Clever bit of magic,” he noted, smiling over at the sleeping witches in his packmates’ arms. “That’s something we’ll have to get used to— magic.”

Namjoon cocked his head, making himself comfortable on the soft cushions. “We’re really staying with you? You— you want us? Me?”

Shownu cooed, gently cupping the younger’s cheeks. “I do, Namjoon-ah. I want all three of you. My wolf knows that you are a perfect addition to my pack and is begging me to claim you right this instant.” He smiled, pinching the wolf's cheeks affectionately. “I won’t, because I’m a gentleman. But I’m afraid the idea of letting any one of you out of my sight upsets my alpha greatly— you’re stuck with me.”

Wonho and Jaebum brought the other two new maknaes to their pile of cushions gently laying the witches down against the beta. The two immediately rolled to sandwich the youngest’s thighs between their heads in their sleep. “It’s not just your wolf, hyung,” Jaebum murmured, seating himself next to Kihyun’s head as he threaded his fingers through the witch’s hair softly. “I’d be hard pressed to leave them behind for any amount of time.” 

Bambam skipped over, settling himself in Namjoon’s lap as he pushed Shownu away with his toes. “Go help Jackson-hyung, alpha,” he teased. “I want some quality cuddle time with our new puppy.”

“I’m bigger than you, Bambam-hyung,” Namjoon muttered, wrapping his arms around the omega as he gently rested his chin on the taller’s shoulder. 

“Ah, but you’re still a puppy, Joon-ah,” Bambam chided playfully, turning his head to drop a quick kiss to the younger’s cheek. “My puppy. I’m not the maknae anymore, let me have this moment.”

Mark snorted, reaching out to ruffle the younger omega’s hair. “You’ll always be one of the maknaes, Bammie. I don’t care how many more people we add to our pack, you will be my baby until the end of time.”

Bambam looked away, blush flooding his cheeks as he looked at the wooden slats in the ceiling as if for guidance. He was saved from further embarrassment by Jackson skipping into the room, Shownu following behind with a large plate of cut meat. “Let’s eat!” the beta sang as he scurried to secure a place next to Wonho so that he could lean against the elder’s bicep. Shownu set the plate on the low wooden table shoved against the far wall, pulling it over so that everyone could reach the meat. He then scooted over towards the pile of limbs on the cushions, carefully picking Jinyoung’s limp form and settling him in his lap, the boy’s head falling heavily against his chest. Jackson did the same for Kihyun, giggling at how small the witch was in his arms. 

Kihyun whined, turning his face to press closely against Jackson’s neck. He pulled away frowning as he opened his eyes in confusion. “I— why do you smell like you rubbed yourself with cucumber juice, hyung?”

The wolves froze, looking at Kihyun with wide eyes. “You— you can smell our scents?” Wonho asked, staring at the witch in amazement. 

“Is that what that is? Is that why Joonie always smells like ginger? I thought he just spent too much time in the garden.”

Mark snorted, moving to lean against Namjoon’s side as he pulled a piece of meat off of the plate, munching on it lightly as the juice dribbled down his fingers. “Yeah, Namjoon’s scent is freshly chopped ginger.” He cocked his head to the side, staring at the younger curiously. “Do you know what Jinyoung smells like then?”

“Honeysuckle. And Jinyoung and Namjoon say that I smell like juniper berries. But I thought that that was just like— a placebo because Joon-ah always compliments our scents.”

Wonho hummed thoughtfully. “I’ve heard of non-wolves picking up certain traits of wolves when they’re integrated into a pack. It’s possible that this is one of those instances.”

The witch shrugged, moving to stick his face back in Jackson’s neck. “Don’t really care why I can smell you. You smell good, hyung.” 

As Kihyun relaxed fully against the other’s chest, Jackson stroked his back, trying to get him to sit up again. “Ah, Ki— Eat some food first before you go to sleep again. Hyung doesn’t know when the last time you ate was.” Kihyun whined again, pressing against the elder’s chest more firmly. “What if hyung fed you? Would that be acceptable, baby?”

He nodded slowly, turning his head so that he could accept the piece of meat that Jackson put on his tongue, moaning as the rich juices flooded his mouth. “Good, hyung,” he mumbled, quickly chewing and swallowing before opening his lips for another piece. Jackson giggled, happily obliging as he fed the witch. He smirked at the others who all pouted in jealousy, except for Bambam and Mark who had thoroughly trapped the other beta tightly between them as they all fed each other in a similar fashion. Shownu was still trying to coerce a very sleepy Jinyoung into eating something, cooing at the younger as he hid his face at any attempt at waking him. 

Eventually, the pack alpha gave up, allowing the witch to sleep undisturbed as he set aside a portion for the younger to eat later once he was up. 

Once everyone was done eating, Jaebum helped Wonho clear the area seeing as they were the only two without a maknae in their laps. The two found more cushions and pillows in a cupboard near the back wall, bringing them over to their pack and spreading them across the floor. They helped the others lay down on their expanded make-shift bed, curling around them all protectively. 

“We should all sleep,” Jaebum stated, wrapping his arms around Bambam’s waist. “We can worry about claiming the new babies once we’re more well rested.”

Shownu let out a little harrumph of indignation. “I told you all, Bummie. I’m a gentleman.”

Jaebum snorted, “Right. A gentleman that waited a courteous 30 hours after meeting us to claim me and mine.”

The elder rolled his eyes, burying his nose in Jinyoung’s hair. “I’ll wait at least two days,” he argued, partially seceding defeat. “Give me that, at least. I do have a bit of self-control.”

Mark giggled, closing his eyes as he fell asleep against Namjoon’s back. Yeah, Shownu had  _ great _ self-control when it came to his mates.

#  1602 - Starting from Scratch

The sky was dark above them as Minhyuk and Hoseok traveled through the forest, the new moon offering no light for the two. They had been driven from Hoseok’s home shortly after he had taken the vampire home. Minhyuk’s coven had been furious when they discovered his empty coffin, tracking the magic back to Hoseok and set his home alight with the two them still inside. Luckily, Minhyuk had been able to splinter the door, pulling an unconscious Hoseok behind him. He had gently deposited the witch near a large oak before unleashing a furious bloodbath onto his old coven. 

Minhyuk had been ashamed of himself when he blinked the red out of his eyes, seeing the carnage left on the ground before him. Not a single member of his ex-coven had been left in one piece, the cottage still ablaze at his back. The vampire had quickly collected a still unconscious Hoseok and began to walk, unsure to where he was going. Nearly seventy years later and they were still walking. 

Hoseok had been understandably distraught, crying into Minhyuk’s blood stained tunic. It had been a struggle. Minhyuk had learned that Hoseok had had an amulet that imitated the power exchange of a coven that kept him from draining himself. The amulet went up in flames with the rest of his possessions. 

The vampire wrapped his arm around Hoseok’s waist as they neared the flickering light of a few torches, loud angry voices yelling profanities at someone. He paused, hearing the sounds of heavy kicks and harsh blows to skin. It wasn’t until he heard a soft, nearly inaudible whimper that he jumped into action. He carefully propped Hoseok up against a tree before sprinting through the remaining woods to the clearing on the outskirts of a village. Minhyuk sprinted up to the mob, hissing angrily as he ripped two of the pathetic humans away from their victim. There were scattered shouts of surprise and terror from those around him before they all tucked tail and ran, leaving behind a tiny, collapsed figure on the dirt behind them. The vampire stood tall, keeping his fangs on display until all of the aggressors were far away before dropping to his knees as he reached down to cradle the beaten human in his arms. 

“You’re okay now, sweetheart,” he murmured, pulling the body to his chest carefully, wincing at the boy’s deep cry at the movement. “Shh, you’ll be alright.” He picked him up, moving quickly back towards Hoseok who had stood up straight as he caught sight of the human in his mate’s grasp. 

“What?” he gasped, falling to his knees as Minhyuk gently laid the human on the ground. Hoseok’s hand immediately lit up in a soft white glow as he attempted to heal the worst of the stranger’s injuries. His brows furrowed in concentration, a slight sheen of sweat dotting his forehead as he tried to help the boy. “There’s too much damage,” Hoseok murmured quietly, the healing glow of his hands fading. “I can’t stop the internal bleeding.” He looked down, reaching a hand out to gently brush the boy’s— child, really— bangs away from his forehead. “The best I can do is make it so that it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Minhyuk was silent, watching as the human gasped for breath beneath him as he bit his lip anxiously. This human was important— made his fangs itch. “I could turn him,” he whispered cautiously. “I could save him— make him like me... a vampire.” He closed his eyes. ”It’s not ideal but—”

“Please,” the human gasped out, coughing as blood dribbled down his chin. “Don’t— want to... die. He— help me.”

He stared at the boy in shock. “Do you know what you’re asking? I’m not— it’s— you’ll turn into a monster.”

The boy looked up at him, tears streaming down his face. “Please,” he whimpered, reaching out a shaking, bloody hand out towards the vampire, broken fingers dragging across the front of his shirt. “Please.”

Minhyuk turned to Hoseok, silently asking for his opinion. Hoseok’s face was grim, making eye contact with the vampire before slowly nodding his head, turning back to the human in front of them. “I helped you through your fledgling phase, hyung. We can help him through his as well.” He smiled, “Besides, it’ll be nice not to be the youngest anymore.”

The vampire snorted softly, gently pulling the human back into his arms. “It’ll hurt, sweetie, we can’t mask that pain, but once it passes you’ll feel a thousand times better. We’ll take care of you.” With that said, he bit down on the boy’s jugular and sucked. 

Minhyuk was sitting next to the childe—  _ his childe _ — as he lay still on the bed. Hoseok had gone out for food, leaving the vampire and his still changing fledgling alone in the house in the middle of the woods they had found abandoned a few miles out from the village. They couldn't stay here for long, but Minhyuk wanted the boy to be comfortable as he changed. 

He was lost deep in thought when the fledgling shot up, panting heavily as he looked around in confusion. Minhyuk carefully wrapped his arms around the boy, pulling his lanky figure into his lap. “You’re alright,” he murmured, petting the younger’s hair as the chlide slowly relaxed against him. “That’s it. Just relax, sweetheart. Hyung’s got you.” He felt the younger swallow heavily against him, no doubt feeling the aching thirst that the turn brings. He led the fledgling’s teeth to his neck, “Drink, baby. Hyung will feed you.” Fangs hesitantly pressed against his neck, scraping the skin gently as the baby debated. Minhyuk tilted his neck a bit more, encouraging the new vampire to sink his teeth into his sire. “That’s it,” he murmured, overcome with the feeling of having someone drink from him. Never did he ever imagine that feeding a fledgling could be so... soothing— fulfilling. He hummed happily, cupping the back of the baby’s neck to hold him close to his chest as he drank. “Such a good boy.”

After a few minutes, the boy pulled away, staring at the vampire wide-eyed. “You taste like bamboo,” he murmured in awe. “But like— it doesn’t taste bad? It’s—  _ really  _ good.”

Minhyuk smiled, cupping the younger’s cheeks. “I’m glad to hear that. Would you mind telling me your name, angel?”

“Hyungwon,” the boy murmured, looking up at the elder in confused fascination. 

“It’s so nice to meet you, Hyungwon. I am Minhyuk. You may call me hyung.” He reached up, brushing the younger’s hair back. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

Hyungwon frowned, staring at the wall behind Minhyuk’s head as he thought back. “No,” he finally answered, confusion clouding his voice. “I don’t— I don’t remember anything before waking up with you here. Did something bad happen?”

Minhyuk’s heart shattered, pulling the childe to his chest. “You really don’t remember anything, Hyungwon-ah?”

The younger shook his head, “Just— just my name. Is— is that a bad thing?”

He smiled sadly, running his fingers up and down the younger’s back for comfort. “Perhaps not, Hyungwon-ah. When we found you, you were being beaten to death. Hoseok-ah, my mate, couldn’t heal you with his magic. You— you begged me to save you— to turn you into a vampire like me.” 

Hyungwon pulled back, looking at Minhyuk in awe. “You can do that? That’s— so...  _ cool _ , hyung. Thank you.”

Minhyuk giggled, hugging the fledgling as he smelt his own bamboo scent seep into Hyungwon. He swallowed around the dryness itching at the back of his own throat, knowing that he would need to eat soon as well. Realistically, Minhyuk knew that he should have fed before feeding the baby, but how could he let his own childe go hungry? He laid down, pulling the younger with him. “How about hyung tells you everything he knows about being a vampire while we wait for Hoseok-ah to come home, yeah?”

The fledgling nodded, smiling up at his sire softly. “I’d appreciate that, hyung.”

The second Hoseok came home, he could sense the tightness in Minhyuk’s stance as he held the now-awake fledgling in his arms. He made his way over to the duo cautiously, head running rampant with all of the possibilities to Minhyuk’s agitation. What if they had turned a murderer? What if the kid was angry with Minhyuk for changing him? 

Nothing, however, could have prepared him for the possibility that the kid, Hyungwon, had complete memory loss. Hoseok sat on the bed in shock, staring at the two vampires before him. “He— I do remember head trauma when I had scanned him,” he pondered. “Do— do you think he’ll remember?”

Hyungwon frowned, looking down at his hands. “From what hyung said, I don’t think that I want to remember, Hoseok-ssi.”

The witch smiled sadly, reaching out to cup the fledgling’s cheek. “That’s hyung to you, mister,” he scolded playfully. “And it’s okay, Hyungwon-ah. Regardless of whether you get your memories back or not, hyungs will love you. We won’t leave you alone, alright?”

The younger nodded, smiling at his hyung in unabashed affection. “Okay, hyung. I promise I won’t leave you either.”

#  1603 - Good Things Come to Those Who Faint

Hoseok felt... lightheaded. He was sure that he just needed to eat something, hence why he was in the village market so soon after dawn. The village square was still fairly empty as the witch slowly made his way past carts setting up to sell their wares for the day, looking for a fruit cart, or a bread cart, or a meat cart— anything except the rugs and vases he kept seeing as he made his way down the street. 

His vision blurred for a moment as he grasped onto a nearby sign post to keep himself upright. Hoseok knew that he shouldn’t have fed both boys before he had left; his magic was already severely depleted, having just finished setting up the wards on their newest temporary home, and feeding both of the vampires had been the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. He closed his eyes, letting the soft sounds of people living their lives around him bring him back to awareness. Slowly, he forced himself to stand up straight, opening his eyes again as he continued his way down the street towards where the food stalls usually set themselves up. He was nearly there, sweet oranges in sight, when he staggered, tripping over his own feet. The ground came up to meet him rapidly before he was saved by a pair of muscled arms wrapping around his waist, pulling him back upright and into an equally muscled chest. 

“Oh dear,” a voice murmured, reaching up with one hand to feel Hoseok’s forehead before tilting his head from side to side as he examined the recently sealed bite wounds on either side of his neck. “I can practically smell the blood loss on you,” the man scolded, easily picking Hoseok’s near-limp form up into a bridal carry. Hoseok stared through blurry eyes at the most beautiful man he had ever seen. Had he more energy, he would have reached up to touch that perfect face to see if he was even real. The man chuckled, smiling down at him fondly. “Yoongi-ah, would you be a dear and go over to Jongho-ah’s stall and get our new friend something to eat?” There was a hum of acknowledgement from somewhere behind him before a soft set of footsteps faded away. “What’s your name, little one?” the man asked, sitting down on a bench in the shade of a large willow tree.

He blinked heavily, trying to sit up on his own, afraid he was overstaying his welcome in this beautiful stranger’s lap but gave up quickly when the man simply tucked him more securely against his chest in response. “Hoseok,” he murmured, sighing in defeat as he laid his head on the man’s shoulder. 

“Good boy, Hoseok-ah,” the man praised as he rubbed the younger’s back. “My name is Seokjin. You may call me Jin-hyung.” He smiled down at the witch sweetly. He looked up, smile turning into one of complete adoration. “Ah, Yoongi. Thank you, treasure.” He reached out, accepting the steaming parcel, carefully unwrapping it singlehandedly before bringing it up to Hosoek’s lips. 

Without any other options, Hoseok bit down, nearly moaning as the taste of steaming rice, meats, and spices assaulted his tongue in the best way possible. He reached out to take the food from Seokjin, intent on feeding himself, but paused when the elder tutted reproachfully at his movement. “Ah, Hoseok-ah, let hyung feed you. You’re clearly unwell.” He cooed softly when Hoseok allowed the elder man to continue his antics, too exhausted to fight him on anything yet. The man who had bought the food, Yoongi, sat down next to them a bored expression on his face as he watched Hoseok eat. 

“You’re not human,” Yoongi started, narrowing his eyes at the other. “Don’t smell like one— too strong.  _ Fucking delicious. _ ”

Hoseok pulled away from the food, swallowing before politely answering, “I’m a witch.”

The man nodded in understanding, cocking his head curiously. “How old are you?”

He paused, thinking for a moment as he tried to do the math in his tired brain. “About a hundred... I think. I honestly can’t remember though I think it was right around fifteen hundred.” Hoseok happily accepted another bite from Jin, humming contentedly. 

Jin wiggled slightly, turning to grin at Yoongi widely. “You feel it right, Yoongi-yah?”

Yoongi nodded, frowning as he stared at the witch. “Who attacked you?” he asked bluntly.

“What?” Hoseok sat up in alarm, gaping at the elder in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

He reached over, gently cupping the younger’s neck as he traced his thumb over the still-healing bite mark. “You can’t tell me you willingly let two separate vampires feed from you at the same time, Hoseok-ah,” he scolded, frown deepening at the guilty look the witch was now sporting. 

“Ah— well, it’s complicated.” 

Jin scowled, turning the witch in his lap so that they were facing one another. “Hoseok-ah,” he began sternly. “Tell me you did not feed two vampires at the same time.”

“I did not feed two vampires at the same time,” Hoseok parroted, shrugging uncomfortably under the elder’s scrutiny. “They took turns.”

Yoongi groaned, smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand dramatically. “Aish, this kid,” he looked to Seokjin in regret. “Hyung— we’re going to have our hands full with this one.” The elder nodded his head in agreement. Looking down at the witch as Yoongi continued, “Hoseok-ah, why did you willingly feed two vampires?”

“Usually my magic can supplement the blood loss better than it did today. My, uh— reserves— are a bit depleted at the moment. And Hyungwon-ah was hungry— he’s a fledgling so he’s always hungry.” He looked into Jin’s eyes desperately. “He pouted at me, hyung. Wonnie was nearly crying with how hungry he was— how could I refuse him?”

Jin laughed out loud, tucking the witch against his chest securely. “Aish, are they your’s, Hoseok-ah?”

The younger nodded against Seokjin’s chest. “I would do anything for them.”

He shifted as he stood up, wrapping hands under Hoseok’s thighs as he secured him to his chest. “Alright then,” he started cheerfully, motioning for Yoongi to follow as he began to walk towards the forest with Hoseok still in his arms. “Let’s go make some new friends.”

Minhyuk stared in awe at the two vampires in front of him, one of which was holding his dongsaeng as if he were a particularly large doll. “You— you just walked through the sun,” he observed, completely flabbergasted. 

“It wasn’t direct sunlight,” the shorter of the two grumbled, folding his arms across his chest as he looked around the tiny, shabby cottage that they called home. “That would kill us. But cloud cover is acceptable at our age as long as we aren’t out for too long.” He held out his hand to Minhyuk, shooting the younger a gummy smile. “I’m Yoongi, this is my sire, Seokjin. We found your witch in town.”

The newcomers moved to the low couch, sitting down as Minhyuk took a nearby chair, allowing Hyungwon to sit in his lap. His eyes narrowed when Jin kept a tight hold on Hoseok’s waist, securing the witch in his lap. 

“Ah, I mean no harm,” Seokjin stated, smiling softly at the vampires in front of him. “I’m just feeling a bit over protective of Hoseok-ah at the moment. Had we come any later, he would have passed out on the ground.”

Minhyuk’s eyes widened, staring at the witch in horror. “Hoseok-ah— you said you were fine to feed us both!”

Hoseok shrugged, looking down at his hands guiltily. “I just wanted to keep you healthy,” he mumbled.

“But not at the risk of your own health, hyung,” Hyungwon whispered, eyes welling up with tears.

The room was tense, the three staring at each other in silence before Seokjin tentatively spoke up. “We— we can help,” he offered, pulling Hoseok’s head down to his chest as he rubbed the younger’s stomach soothingly. “You don’t have to do this on your own.”

Minhyuk frowned, watching the elder vampire’s interactions with his witch closely. “Hoseok-ah and I have managed just fine for the past hundred years.”

Hyungwon bit his lip, guiltily looking down at the ground. “Yeah, but now you have me, hyung.”

The elder gasped, pulling his fledgling closer as he pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “And you’re a  _ blessing, _ Won-ah.”

“Yeah but now Hoseok-hyung has to take care of both of us,” the younger argued quietly. “Wouldn’t it be nice for hyung to be able to share the burden a bit? Maybe then he wouldn’t be so tired all the time.”

Hoseok made an aborted noise, leaning forward slightly in Jin’s arms. “Wonnie,” he whispered, voice cracking. “You are  _ never _ a burden.”

The maknae frowned, looking to the new vampires for assistance. The two observed the interaction silently, not willing to get in between their disagreement. Hyungwon sighed, turning his frown to Minhyuk. “Hyung, I’m not saying I think I’m a burden. I’m just saying that we’ve both seen the toll it's taken on Hoseok-hyung over the past year feeding us both.”

Minhyuk’s determined expression shattered, glancing over to where Hoseok was fighting sleep against Seokjin’s chest before looking down to the floor in resignation.

“I know what it’s like feeding a fledgling all on your own, Minhyuk-ssi,” Jin admitted softly, lacing the fingers of his free hand through Yoongi’s. “I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Especially in this day and age where feeding off of humans has its own dangers. The human race has become ruthless in their quests to protect themselves from our kind.” He smiled at the vampire softly, cocking his head slightly. “I just want to help.”

Yoongi nodded in agreement, gesturing for Hyungwon to come to him. “Let me feed you, Hyungwon-ah. I’m sure you’re still thirsty— I remember those hunger pains vividly. Let hyung give you something to drink.” The younger looked back to Minhyuk, silently asking for permission. Minhyuk slowly nodded his head, pushing the boy off of his lap in encouragement. 

Once Hyungwon was settled in Yoongi’s lap, mouth firmly attached to the elder’s neck, Jin turned back to Minhyuk curiously. “So what’s your story?”

“I beg your pardon?” Minhyuk asked, affronted. 

The elder laughed, pressing his cheek to Hoseok’s hair. “I just meant, how did you all meet. I’m assuming Hyungwon-ah is your fledgling since he smells like you and Hoseok-ah but you don’t smell like Hoseok-ah so I can only assume that you met him after your fledgling phase. It’s a bit odd how your scent is so monotone— you must have had a dedicated sire. Where are they?”

Minhyuk frowned, looking at the man in confusion. “I— don't follow. What do you mean? Yes, Wonnie is my childe but— all that stuff about scents. I’m not sure I understand.”

“As you know, humans don’t really have  _ scents _ . Sometimes you can get a hit of what they could be but it’s never definitive, you know? And when vampires are turned, their scents are blank— it’s why sires prefer to be the first one their fledgling feeds from; so that their scents take on that of their elder’s. A vampire’s scent is determined by who they drink from in their first few years. Hyungwon-ah smells equally of you and Hoseok-ah. Just like Yoongi-ah smells mostly of me but also with the hints of the humans he had to feed off of to sustain himself.”

“And my— monotone scent? Sire?” 

Jin nodded, frowning slightly. “I’ve never smelled someone like you before, Minhyuk-ah. Your scent is quite disorienting. Your sire must have been quite strong willed to keep you fed by himself.”

“I never had a sire,” Minhyuk explained. “I— I was a witch and my coven—”

The elder vampire’s eyes widened, a broken sound bubbling up his chest as he looked at the boy in horror. “No,” he whispered, shaking his head. “I thought— I thought I had destroyed all traces of my research centuries ago. I’m— This is my fault... You’re a vampire because of me.”

Minhyuk shook his head. “Eomma and her coven would have drained me of my magic regardless. She was just trying to save me. I don’t think she fully knew what they had found— what they were turning me into.”

He swallowed thickly, watching Minhyuk closely. “So then— your scent. Is— how?”

The younger shrugged, trying to look nonchalant as he glanced at Hyungwon, thankful to see the younger one’s lanky frame sleeping soundly against Yoongi’s slight shoulder. “I don’t know—. I— Hoseok-ah pulled me from the bottom of the ocean ten years after I was turned.” He ignored the twin gasps of horror as he plowed on, shaking slightly at reliving that particular trauma. “I never got to drink from anyone before they buried me. The— the coffin was made of bamboo.” He flinched, rubbing at his arm uncomfortably. “I’ll never be able to escape that smell.”

“How— how did you escape the bloodlust?” Yoongi asked, clutching Hyungwon to his chest desperately. 

The younger shrugged, moving to sit beside Jin when the elder opened his arm for him. “Hoseok-ah think’s I had enough residual magic in me during the change that it protected me from the bloodlust. We’re just guessing but it seems like the most probable answer.”

Seokjin nodded, “That makes sense. I— I’m sorry.”

“You weren’t the one that did this to me,” Minhyuk argued softly, burying his face in the elder’s warm, sweet smell. 

“But I am the one who created the spell— in my own misguided attempt to keep myself from being drained.” He moved his hand from Hoseok’s back to wrap his arm around Minhyuk’s shoulders, pulling the younger to his side tightly. “I can’t, in good conscience, leave you on your own now.”

“I’m not alone, hyung,” Minhyuk whispered, staring up at Jin in confusion. 

“A vampire needs a sire— we’re a bit like pack creatures,” the elder explained softly. “We can’t survive on our own and a baby taking care of a baby doesn’t bode well for either of your developments.” At Minhyuk’s curious expression he elaborated. “How’s your bloodlust? Still pretty similar to your fledgling days? Does the light still hurt your eyes? Your developement of your vampire powers are directly correlated to your relationship with your sire. Without a sire, you won’t be able to progress and grow and you turned Hyungwon-ah, correct? That means his growth will be stunted as well.”

Minhyuk looked over at his fledgling in horror. “I’m— I’m hurting him?”

Jin cooed softly, combing his fingers through the younger’s hair. “Oh angel, that’s not what I was trying to imply. I’m positive that you’re a wonderful sire, sweetheart. I can see how much Hyungwon-ah loves you.” He carefully shifted Hoseok off his lap, moving him over to rest against Yoongi’s shoulder, his fledgling wrapping his arm around the witch to secure him to his side, before pulling Minhyuk into his lap. “You’re alright, Minhyuk-ah. Mhmm? You were dealt a bad hand and you made the best of it. But you’re not alone anymore. You won’t be alone ever again. It’s my fault you were turned in the first place so it’s my responsibility to keep you happy and healthy. I would like to sire you, Minhyuk-ah. Let me help you. I can help lessen your strain.”

The younger buried his face in Seokjin’s neck, unconsciously mouthing at the elder’s skin. “Can— can I think about it?” he whispered.

“Of course, you sweet boy. Nothing has to happen today. Except— hyung wants you to eat some more, okay?” He reached up, making a small incision on his neck with his fingernail before tucking Minhyuk’s head against him, silently encouraging him to drink. The younger did, hesitantly pulling long drags from the elder, moaning as Jin’s sweet blood hit his tongue. Seokjin hummed approvingly petting the younger’s hair as he closed his eyes in satisfaction. 

The room was silent besides the soft sucking noises coming from Minhyuk and Yoongi’s low, contented humming as he held two of the sleeping maknaes. The vampire felt a small pinch on his bicep, turning to look at his sire questioningly. Jin smiled, gesturing with his chin towards the vampire in his arms, mouthing “ _ Is he asleep _ ?”

Yoongi tilted his head, face melting into an overly fond smile as he caught sight of the baby softly mouthing against Jin’s closed-over bite mark. He nodded, tucking his nose into Hoseok’s hair and closing his eyes against the warm coffee scent the witch exuded. “We’re keeping them, hyung,” he whispered, voice barely audible even in the near-silent room. 

Seokjin nodded in agreement, careful not to disturb the fledgling in his arms. “They’re all just babies, Yoongi-chi,” he murmured back, heart breaking more with every word. “I refuse to leave them on their own again.”

"Aish,” Yoongi mumbled, staring at Minhyuk, “A baby turning a baby... He’s so brave. I know I wouldn’t have had the guts to take care of a fledgling at his age. We’ll take care of them though, hyung. All three of them. We’ll take care of them."

#  1715 - Trust in One’s Self

Taehyung wasn’t sure what he was looking at. Well— actually he knew exactly what he was looking at; he just didn’t know what to  _ do _ with that information. It was nearing dawn, the sky illuminated softly in its pre-dawn light. Before him was a boy— a  _ small _ boy— man, really— but he was small, nearly emaciated and pale. He was blinking slowly, looking off into the middle distance blankly. The boy’s neck was a mess, torn apart and blood soaked. The fact that it was no longer bleeding but he was still alive, clued Taehyung into the fact that this was a vampire he was looking at, a newly turned, nearly dead fledgling, but a vampire nonetheless. He nearly turned around, intent on going back to his cottage and forgetting all about the dead vampire but his feet refused to move. Taehyung glared down at his uncooperative limbs before sighing exasperatedly and walking towards the fledgling in defeat. 

“Hello?” he sang once he was close enough, making sure he had his friendly smile firmly in place. “Do you need some help, stranger-nim?” The boy didn’t respond, not even bothering to glance at Taehyung. He sighed, crouching down next to the vampire. “Would you like a drink? I hear I taste like strawberries. Very tasty.”

This made the boy react, just barely. The vampire turned his eyes towards Taehyung, momentarily focusing in on his neck before swallowing painfully and looking away. 

“Awe, don’t be like that. I promise, I’m offering voluntarily. It’s alright to drink from me, hmm?”

The boy’s finger twitched but not much else and suddenly, Taehyung understood what was going on. He shuffled closer, scooping the tiny body up against his own and standing up quickly. He made his way back to his cottage quickly with the boy. Opening the door with his magic, he quickly laid the stranger on his bed before moving to close the door and blinds, using his magic to seal the curtains over the windows to prevent any light from coming in.

He came back over to the bed, pulling the boy back into his arms as he laid down with the vampire. Careful of the wound on his neck, he pulled the fledgling to rest against his shoulder. “Go ahead and drink, stranger-nim. I have enough magic stored up to replenish myself if you drink too much.” The vampire whimpered before biting down cautiously sucking from Taehyung. “That’s it,” he cooed, gently petting the boy’s blood-matted hair. “Good boy.” Eventually, the boy’s sucking slowed to a stop before he carefully pulled off, licking the wound closed before laying his head on Taehyung’s chest.

“Thank you,” he whispered, eyes closed as he wrapped his tiny limbs around Taehyung. “ ‘m Jimin.”

Taehyung yawned, rubbing Jimin’s back softly. “No problem. I’m Taehyung. Not sure how new you are to the life of the undead, but sunlight is a really bad idea. I’ve sealed the curtains, but maybe stay away from them anyways? Just in case. Otherwise you’re free to roam around but I highly recommend some sleep— that’s what I’m going to do. We can figure out what our next steps will be once we wake up.” 

Jimin nodded his head in agreement carefully, very aware of the slowly healing wound on his neck. “You won’t make me leave, right?”

“No,” Taehyung whispered, already half asleep. “You can stay with me forever.”

Jimin woke up warmer than he had ever been before, lying on top of a very delicious smelling body. He unconsciously began mouthing at the soft skin under him. 

“Hungry, baby?” Taehyung asked, making Jimin jump as he looked up at the witch in alarm.

“Ah—” 

“It’s okay,” he giggled, smiling softly. “Just let me eat something quick and then I’ll feed you, okay?”

Jimin nodded staring at Taehyung in amazement as the witch stood up, carefully rolling the vampire off of him as he did so. “Thank you,” he began, watching as the man puttered around the kitchen happily. “For saving me. Most people would have just left me to die.”

Guilt welled up inside of Taehyung as he made a promise to himself that Jimin would never know how he too had tried to leave him for dead. “I guess I’m not most people then,” he sang in faux cheerfulness. “Come on,” he gestured towards the low sofa once he had finished eating, “Let’s get you fed and then you can tell me why you were so far away from civilization.”

“I was— I followed this man— vampire— out here. I’m not sure why. It’s like I wasn’t in control of my own body. Even when my feet were bleeding and all I wanted to do was rest, I still kept walking because he told me to. Then, last night, he made me stop and then he ripped my neck open. I thought I was going to die but I didn’t. He told me— he told me that being burnt to death by the sun was the most poetic way for someone who shined as bright as me to go. And then he just— left me there. I couldn’t move and everything hurt. I thought for sure I was going to die. And then you came.”

Taehyung swallowed around the lump in his throat as he brushed through Jimin’s wet hair. He had given the younger a bath and now he was gently untangling his shaggy hair. “My magic called out for you. In that moment, I couldn’t leave you even if I had wanted to.”

“And now?”

“Now,” Taehyung started, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to Jimin’s temple. “Now I know for sure that I want to keep you forever.”

#  1823 - A Hunger Like No Other

Seokjin paused in his footsteps as he heard a cry, the rest of his small coven paused with him, looking at him questioningly. Another cry sounded, more like a sob echoing through the trees. Yoongi stood up straight in alarm, eyes wide as he pulled Hyungwon behind him.

“Jiminie,  _ please _ ,” the voice cried, an alarmed trembling resonating through the deep bass of the man crying. “You need to eat something, baby, please. Just— just a bite.”

There was a feral growl, low and broken as it cut off suddenly. 

Seokjin’s eyes were wide as he stormed forward through the trees, trusting that his coven would follow behind him. He broke through to a small clearing around a small homely looking cottage. There was a man crouched down lowly, sobbing into the lap of another man— vampire— who was sitting in front of a low-burning fire as he growled at nothing. 

“Jimin-ah, Jimin-ah,” he whimpered. 

Jin’s heart broke as he watched the two of them. He motioned to Yoongi, silently telling him to pull the sobbing boy away from the raging vampire before he snapped. Seokjin admired the vampire’s strength so close to full bloodlust but an unresponsive vampire was a vampire that couldn’t be saved and everyone in his coven knew this.

Yoongi cautiously made his way over, carefully plucking the crying boy out of the other’s lap before gathering him in his arms and dragging him back towards the other three as Seokjin stepped forward. “Save him,” the boy begged. “Please— I can’t get him to eat. Please save him!”

The vampire shushed him, shuffling him into Hoseok’s arms who gently wrapped his magic around the younger witch. “It’s alright,” he murmured. “We’ve got you.”

_ We’ve got to kill him _ , Yoongi declared sadly through their bond so as to not upset the witch even more.

_ I know. _

Seokjin swallowed, looking at the vampire still growling quietly a few feet away. The boy was... small, emaciated and just plain lithe in stature even without the starvation. He had an air of innocence to him that made what Jin knew he had to do all that much worse. With a thick layer of remorse building over his heart, the vampire approached, crouching down until he was directly in front of the younger. 

Jimin’s growling increased, hands clenched into fists at his side as he slowly raised his eyes to glare at the elder vampire. His eyes flashed over to where Hoseok had Taehyung in his grip, irises bleeding red as he jumped up, flashing over to the witches before anyone could react. He snapped at Hoseok, making the witch release the younger witch in his panic. Taehyung ran forward, intent on wrapping himself around Jimin again before he was thwarted by Hyungwon, who quickly gathered the boy in his arms and pulled him behind Hoseok as Minhyuk and Yoongi each took one of Jimin’s arms. 

The boy was hissing furiously, snapping his teeth at Hoseok as he struggled in the stronger vampires’ arms. Seokjin moved forward slowly, cocking his head to the side as he watched Jimin fight his coven members. “You’re still in there,” he observed quietly. “Not as far gone as we thought.”

All of a sudden, Jimin stopped, dropping like a sack of rocks as sobs ripped from his throat. “Please,” he begged. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

Jin sighed, crouching down as he gathered the fledgling in his arms. “You won’t hurt anyone, Jimin-ah. Eat,” he murmured, offering his wrist to the starving vampire.

Jimin shook his head, turning as far away as he could from the other as he could. Taehyung broke free, falling to his knees in front of the vampire. “He won’t eat. Please— stranger-nim. Please help him. Save my soulmate,  _ please. _ ”

Yoongi crouched down on Jimin’s other side. “You could thrall him,” he suggested. “Force him to eat.”

The elder nodded, looking to Taehyung’s tear stained face before turning to Jimin, pulling him fully into his lap despite his protests. “ **Eat, Jimin.** ”

The boy’s eyes glazed over before biting down on Seokjin’s wrist without fuss. Taehyung stared wide-eyed at the elder vampire. “How—”

“It’s called a thrall,” Yoongi explained, gently coercing Taehyung into his own lap. “Vampires usually use it to keep wayward fledglings in line or to pull unsuspecting humans out of a crowd.”

After a few minutes, Seokjin motioned for Minhyuk to come over, transferring Jimin to his arms before thralling the boy once more to eat from the other vampire. “Is this your home?” he asked Taehyung. When the younger nodded, Seokjin stood up, motioning for the rest of them to do the same. “It’ll be daylight soon. We should get inside.”

“What’s going to happen to him?” the young witch asked as he unlocked the door to let the coven inside. 

“We’re going to feed him,” Seokjin replied, pulling Taehyung into his lap as the rest settled around the open living space. “And you’re going to tell us how he got to that point.”

Taehyung nodded sadly, looking down at his lap. “A few weeks ago, we went down into town and Jiminie accidentally killed a woman. After that, he refused to eat from anyone— even me. I didn’t know what to do. Thank you for helping us.”

Seokjin hummed in response, tucking the younger’s head against his chest. “We’ll do everything we can to save him but, Taehyung, my thrall only lasts for a few hours on vampires that aren’t mine. Do you think he’ll eat willingly after it wears off? Because the more I use it the less it will work. Where is his sire?”

“Left him to die,” Taehyung mumbled angrily. “I just barely saved him before the sun came up. It’s been just the two of us ever since.”

“That explains why Jimin smells solely of you,” Yoongi observed quietly, handing Taehyung a glass of water from his kitchen.

The younger cocked his head, looking at Yoongi in confusion. “I don't understand. Is he not supposed to?”

“A vampire’s scent is made up of all of the scents that they drink from in their first few years,” Seokjin explained. “Take Hyungwon-ah for example. He smells primarily of bamboo and coffee because of Hoseok and Minhyuk but if you take a closer smell you can get hints of Yoongi and I as well since we came into their lives a bit later.”

Taehyung hummed thoughtfully, eyes wide in fascination as he leaned towards the vampire in question. Hyungwon chuckled, leaning forward to meet the excited witch half way as he took a deep sniff, recognizing the different conglomeration of smells immediately. “So— Jiminie will always just smell like me then?”

Jin nodded, petting the younger’s hair as the room fell silent. It didn’t take long before Minhyuk passed the fledgling off to Hoseok who immediately tucked the younger to his neck affectionately. 

A few hours later, Jimin pulled back from Yoongi, eyes clearing before he immediately threw himself off of the other’s lap, instantly growling. “Jimin,  **calm down,”** Jin commanded as he made his way towards the wayward fledgling. He could see the flicker in the boy’s eyes as he tried to fight the thrall. “ **Finish eating from Yoongi.** **_Now_ ** .”

Jimin staggered over to Yoongi with Jin’s helpful hand on the lower of his back. Said vampire opened his arms to the younger, accepting him into his lap immediately. 

“My thrall isn’t going to last as long,” the covenhead observed quietly. “He’s strong.”

Taehyung bit his thumb as he squirmed from his spot on Minhyuk’s lap. “What are we gonna do? Jiminie still doesn’t want to eat.”

Jin sighed, running a hand through his hair tiredly. “There’s a way to thrall him for much longer but it’s a bit more permanent.”

“How?” the witch asked desperately. 

“I sire him.”

Taehyung’s expression turned into one of irritated confusion. “Seokjin-hyung, Jiminie has already been sired. That’s why he’s currently a vampire.”

Jin snorted, reaching forward to ruffle the younger’s hair. “A vampire’s sire can change, Taehyung-ah. It would be for the best anyways. Fledglings need sires or they don’t mature properly. We’re, surprisingly, pack creatures. If I sire him, I can thrall him for as long as it takes, however, it also means that I would be his sire. I’d be responsible for him and his well being. He’d be a part of my coven and by extension, so would you. Permanently.”

The younger stared at him in shock, contemplating his choices, “And— and Jimin-ah won’t— won’t drink on his own?” 

“It doesn’t look like it. His bloodlust is still too close to the surface, Taehyung-ah,” Jin cupped the witch’s cheeks gently before pressing a featherlight kiss to the tip of his nose. “We’d take such good care of the two of you.”

“And— you’d take both of us? Not just Jiminie?”

Seokjin sucked in a deep breath, pulling Taehyung to his chest securely. “Of  _ course _ I’d take both of you. I’d never dream of separating the two of you.” He rocked the boy in his arms gently, pulling Taehyung’s legs up so that he was secured to his front before walking the two of them over to the couch where he sat down next to Hoseok and Hyungwon. “I would ask his permission to sire him but he’s not in the right frame of mind to consent right now so unfortunately that leaves it up to you.” He pressed a kiss to Taehyung’s noise. “I need you to agree to let me sire him— claim the both of you.”

Slowly, Taehyung nodded his head. “Please save Jimin, Seokjin-hyung,” he whispered, pressing close to the elder’s chest. 

He hummed happily, petting the younger’s hair before settling him in Hoseok’s lap and moving back toward Yoongi and Jimin. He extracted Jimin from his first fledgling’s lap, ignoring the deep growling bubbling up in Jimin’s chest, and settled him in his own lap. “I’m going to claim you, Jimin-ah,” he declared to the younger softly. “I know you don’t know what’s going on but everything will be alright. Hyung will take care of you. And once you’re better we’ll all get to know each other really well, okay?” Jimin just growled in response, struggling weakly in his hold. Seokjin took a deep breath, using one hand to push Jimin’s head to his chest before biting down on his nape. 

_ Fuck don’t make me eat, please. I don’t want to hurt anyone again. Just kill me. Please just kill me.  _

_You’re alright, precious,_ Jin murmured through their bond. _Hyung will take care of you. You’ll never have to drink from another human again if you don’t want to. But you_ ** _will_** _drink from your hyungs. I won’t let you starve, angel._ He shuffled the baby over to Hyungwon, **_Drink, treasure_**.

They took turns feeding the baby and going out for food to keep themselves fed. Hoseok took quite a bit of enjoyment in taking Taehyung out to the younger’s garden to collect food for themselves. The elder witch smiled brightly any time he could have a moment alone with the younger, excitedly stretching their magic and testing the waters on how well they interacted with each other. They were both happy to not be solitary anymore, eagerly opening a connection between the two of them to share the burden of their magic. 

The hyungs were also hard pressed to let Taehyung feed Jimin unless they had seen him eat a full meal first. It was a strange but not unwelcome experience to be doted on so thoroughly by so many hyungs. He practically bloomed under their attention, each day brighter than the last as he watched Jimin slowly gain color again under the hyungs’ careful attentiveness.

“I think I can pull him out of thrall,” Jin declared, holding Jimin firmly to his chest as the youngest vampire suckled on the skin of his neck like a baby. The fledgling was no longer drinking, just mouthing soothingly, fully saturated with blood but unable to stop trying without Jin’s say so. 

Taehyung sat up excitedly from his place in Minhyuk’s lap. “Really?” he asked, bouncing up and down until the elder grabbed a hold of his hips to keep him still. 

“Really, Taetae,” Jin laughed, petting Jimin’s hair.  **_Wake up, little love._ ** Jimin’s mouth froze on his skin before he pressed himself impossibly closer, wrapping his arms around Jin’s waist as he broke down into sobs. “I know, angel. I know. It’s always overwhelming coming up from a thrall. It’s okay, hyung’s got you.”

“Thank you,” Jimin whimpered, rubbing his cheek against Jin’s neck. “Thank you.”

“We were happy to help you, treasure,” Jin murmured, hugging the tiny vampire as close to his chest as possible. “We’ll always take care of our own.”

#  1894 - Opposites Attract

Taehyung froze as they entered the tiny village, staring at the commotion going on in the town square in horror as his eyes bled black. Before anyone in the coven could react, the young witch’s magic lashed out, thrashing through the little brick houses and throwing the humans gathered round a pyre far off into the distance. He charged forward, his magic rolling off of him in angry, terrifying waves. 

Jimin tried to follow, only making it a few steps before Minhyuk gathered him in his arms and lifted his feet off of the ground despite his protests. 

The little witch kept going, undeterred, as he charged to the pyre, eyes meeting those of a lanky, terrified pup. His irises faded back to his normal color, stepping closer to the boy as he disregarded the devastation he had created around them. “You’re safe now,” he murmured, carefully untying the tight bonds holding the wolf. 

He whimpered as blood finally began to circulate his entire body again, dropping forward against Taehyung as he began to cry. “Thank you,” he whimpered, wrapping his arms around the witch’s shoulders as he began to rub his scent on Taehyung in appreciation. “Thank you.”

Taehyung hugged the boy close. “Are you hurt?”

The wolf shook his head, face still firmly buried in the boy’s neck. “No. Just— they overpowered me. I feel so stupid. Hyungs are never going to let me out of their sights again.” He pulled back to look at Taehyung’s face, sniffling pathetically. “I’m Bambam.”

“Taehyung,” the witch responded, grinning widely. He cupped Bambam’s cheeks fondly as he looked the boy over for injuries. Finding nothing life threatening, he relaxed his stance, glancing back to where the rest of his coven was watching with wide eyes. “Ah,” he called, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Sorry, hyungs. I’m better now.”

Hyungwon snorted, folding his arms across his chest as he stalked up to the two. Bambam’s eyes widened as he neared, pulling Taehyung behind him. The vampire froze, staring at the omega in shock. “You’re a wolf,” he whispered, taking his own step away. 

The rest of the coven lept into action, coming forward to their mates. Jin pulled Hyungwon behind him, passing him back to Yoongi who in turn tucked him against Minhyuk who was still holding Jimin off of the ground. The youngest vampire’s struggling renewed tenfold, wiggling angrily in Minhyuk’s hold as he tried to get to Taehyung.

Bambam’s eyes widened, taking another step back with Taehyung in alarm. The witch, cooed softly, wrapping his arms around the wolf’s waist as he pressed his face into the boy’s neck and rubbed his stomach. “It’s okay, Bambam-ah,” he murmured. “Those are just my hyungs. They’re good people— I promise.”

“They’re— they’re vampires,” he mumbled, still holding the witch firmly behind him. 

He smiled fondly, “And you’re a wolf.”

“But I don’t eat people.”

Seokjin snorted, unamused as he responded, “Wolves kill just as many humans as vampires do. At least we only kill them out of necessity.”

Bambam relaxed his stance some, staring at the elder inquisitively. “My pack doesn’t kill humans for sport.”

“And neither do we. So can you please stop shielding my mate from me?”

He paused, glancing back at Taehyung in confusion. “ _ Your _ mate?” 

Jin nodded, trying to shoot the wolf a friendly smile, “Yes. My mate. He’s quite important to me. So I’d appreciate him back in one piece.”

“I’d never hurt him!” Bambam exclaimed, tightening his hold on Taehyung’s wrists minutely. Taehyung hushed him softly, rubbing his stomach again as he pressed a soft kiss to the wolf’s cheek. “He’s—” he cut himself off, looking off to the west with wide eyes just as a loud, pain-filled howl echoed through the trees. “My pack is coming.”

The vampires tensed, looking at each other worriedly. “Hyungwon, Jimin—  _ hide.” _

Hyungwon nodded, eyes wide in fear as he ran off into the destroyed buildings behind them. Minhyuk set Jimin on the ground only for the youngest vampire to book it for Taehyung. The elder reacted quickly, scooping him back up despite the fledgling’s protests. “No, Jimin-ah,” Mihyunk growled, pulling the struggling vampire away. “ **Go. Hide** .”

Jimin stopped struggling, eyes glazing over before he willingly ran off into the houses to hide. Minhyuk sighed in relief before making his way over to the others. Yoongi was firmly under Seokjin’s arm despite the scowl the younger threw at his sire at the babying so Minhyuk made his way to Hoseok, quickly collecting the witch into his arms just as a pack of wolves broke through the treeline, growling furiously. 

“It’s okay, hyungs,” Bambam called frantically. “They were the ones that saved me! Don’t hurt them!”

The wolves froze, a deep terrifying growl rumbled through the largest of the wolves as he stalked forward. Once he was close enough for the vampires to smell his peppermint scent, he shifted back. “Bambam,” he rumbled, taking quick steps towards the wolf only to be stopped by Seokjin. 

“Forgive me, but I’d rather you didn’t encroach on my coven.”

“That’s my pup,” the alpha bit out, jerking his head towards Bambam.

“And that’s my witch,” Jin countered, also nodding towards where Taehyung was still wrapped around the wolf. 

The wolf took a deep, calming breath before freezing, staring at Seokjin in amazement. “Ah,” he responded eloquently. He tipped his head to the side, baring his neck for the vampire slightly. 

Jin frowned, staring at the wolf in confusion before he, too, took a deep breath. “I see,” he mumbled, stepping forward towards the wolf. “I’m Seokjin and this is my coven.”

Shownu bowed before collecting the vampire into his arms, “Shownu. Forgive me. It’s been a stressful few hours and I wasn’t exactly in the right frame of mind.”

The vampire smiled suavely, cupping Shownu’s cheek before leaning in and kissing it. “All is forgiven. Now, why don’t you calm down your puppies and I’ll collect my wayward babies and we’ll all get to know each other, yeah?”

“Jimin-ah!”

“Minnie!”

“Jimin, come out here right now!” 

Taehyung ran up to Jin, panting heavily. “We found him,” he gasped, hands on his knees. “He won’t— we can’t get him out though.”

Jin bit his lip, nodding his head before he ran after the young witch with Shownu on his tail. He had sent his coven to one of the few remaining buildings still standing after Hurricane Taehyung to wait out the sun that was now high in the sky but safely tucked behind the clouds. Shownu had offered his assistance to help find Jimin when the vampire never returned. The wolves scattered out with the exception of Mark and Bambam who had been confined to the house with the vampires to ‘keep the worried vampires out of harm’s way’ though both of them knew it was just to appease Shownu’s over-protective instincts.

The witch led the group over to a nearly flattened house where Wonho and Jackson were squatted down next to the crumbled roof. 

“Min-ah,” Jin exclaimed, rushing forward past the wolves as he climbed down onto his hands and knees and peeked into the dark alcove where Jimin was lying on stomach, staring off into the distance with tears in his eyes. “Jimin-ah? Can you come out for hyung?” Jimin didn’t move as he continued to stare at nothing, completely unresponsive.  **“Jimin. Come out.** ” The covenhead stared in shock as the boy did little more than twitch in response. He paused thinking before turning back to the group collected behind him. “I need Minhyuk-ah.”

Hoseok nodded, pulling Wonho with him as he maneuvered through the rubble back towards where the vampires were hiding from the sun. 

“What’s wrong with him, hyung?” Taehyung asked, wringing his hands together as he stared at his unresponsive soulmate. 

Seokjin sighed, rubbing at his face tiredly. “I think Minhyuk-ah might have thralled him accidentally.”

“But— but hyung isn’t his sire? I thought non-sire thralls only lasted a few hours.” 

Jinyoung cooed softly, wrapping his arms around the younger witch in comfort as he sensed the boy’s rising emotional turmoil. 

“Typically, but— I’m Minhyuk’s sire, Tae-ah. Which, logically, would place him as an authority in Jimin’s subconscious. If Minhyukkie thralled him in his panic then it would make sense that Jimin’s subconscious sensed that panic and reacted as if it were a thrall given by me. Just like when I thrall Won-ah, he responds as if it were Minhyuk who thralled him.”

“Because you’re all connected,” Taehyung concluded. “But you can fix this right? Minhyuk-hyung can remove the thrall?”

Jin nodded slowly, staring at Jimin in concern just as Hoseok and Wonho returned, the latter carrying a Minhyuk-shaped lump under a large blanket. “Hobi-ah, can you make a bubble for us?” 

A few minutes later found Minhyuk crouched in front of Jimin as he pulled at his hair in frustration. “Stop hiding, Jimin,” he cried, burying his head in his hands. He looked over to Seokjin in desperation. “I can’t do it, hyung!”

“You can,” he encouraged softly. “Take a deep breath. Start again. Don’t rush yourself. Minnie isn’t hurt. He’ll be okay while you get the hang of this.”

Minhyuk did as he was told, taking a deep breath in determination before trying again.

“If I never get thralled again, it’ll be too soon,” Jimin declared, draping himself over Taehyung’s chest. The vampire mouthed heavily at his soulmate’s neck, nibbling every once in a while teasingly. 

“Here, here,” Taehyung agreed wholeheartedly, tilting his head so that Jimin could bite down more easily. The vampire took the invitation happily, kissing his skin in thanks before taking his meal. 

Next to them, Jaebum had collected an exhausted Minhyuk into his lap, offering the vampire his spiced orange blood to soothe his thirst. The vampire accepted with little preamble, nearly moaning at the first taste. Mark and Bambam watched from their omega cuddle pile on the floor, the elder nosing Bambam’s neck gently as they watched their pack subtly claim each of the vampires as their own. Next to them, Jackson and Namjoon had made a Hyungwon sandwich, offering the boy cucumbers and ginger respectively. Mark had half a mind to pull the poor overwhelmed boy away from the two overbearing betas and offer the sweet little vampire a taste of his own butterscotch but decided he was enjoying watching too much to move. 

Comically, Wonho had collected Yoongi’s tiny, grumpy body against his own tall, muscled one. He nudged the older vampire against his neck, exuding some more of his cinnamon roll scent into the air to entice Yoongi into taking a bite. The man held out, keeping his mouth firmly clenched shut until Wonho let out a pitiful whine. Yoongi rolled his eyes at the wolf’s theatrics as he sighed, “You’re going to be a handful, aren’t you, pup?” he asked before finally biting down into the meat of the wolf’s neck, making the younger hum happily. 

Jinyoung and Kihyun were practically on top of Hoseok in the far corner, the three’s magic twisting around each other as they became accustomed to one another. Hoseok hummed happily as his magic accepted Jinyoung and Kihyun’s into his circle without preamble which made Kihyun snort, “Guess this means we’re not getting rid of you, huh?” 

Hoseok giggled, pressing his face against Kihyun’s shoulder as he wrapped his magic around the two in return. 

The most shocking for the vampires to witness, however, was watching as the pack alpha gently gathered their covenhead in between his thighs. Shownu hummed in contentment as he tucked the vampire’s back against his chest, tilting the slightly younger immortal so that Jin could mouth at the hollow of his throat. The wolf cooed softly, closing his eyes at the feeling as he murmured, “I think we’re gonna need a bigger house.”

#  1895 - (Interlude) A Home to Call Our Own

“Don’t you think we’re moving a little fast, hyung?” Yoongi asked, resting his head on the elder vampire’s chest as they watched the wolves play under the light of the full moon. 

“No,” he whispered, reaching down to drop a kiss onto the top of the younger’s head. “They were mine the moment they were born. We’re just making it official.”

Yoongi snorted, turning to bury his face in his sire’s chest. “You’re so cheesy, hyung.”

Seokjin laughed, rolling his head to the side to watch the pack. “You can’t honestly tell me that you want to wait?”

The younger vampire shook his head, turning to watch the wolves again, smiling when Mark broke away from the alphas to catapult himself into a shocked Minhyuk’s lap. The vampire recovered quickly, reaching down to help the tiny wolf situate himself more securely in his lap as he reached up to lick the underside of the younger’s chin. “Gross, hyung!” Minhyuk complained, grinning widely as he leaned down to nuzzle the wolf’s fur. 

Jimin and Taehyung giggled, rolling onto the forest floor as Bambam and Jackson bounced around them, reaching into the fray to lick one of their cheeks every once in a while. Hoseok was sitting further down the clearing, Namjoon quietly resting his head on the witch’s thigh as he watched him fabricate their new clan’s symbol onto pieces of metal he had pulled from the earth before handing them over to Jinyoung to enchant. Once they were done, all they would need was for Jin to place them on each of them with his blessing to conjoin each of their subgroups into one large clan. Hyungwon ambled down to join them, spreading out across the grass with his head on Namjoon’s stomach as he closed his eyes. He hummed happily when the wolf shifted to give him a better sleeping position on him. 

Suddenly, Jaebum burst through the trees with Kihyun on his back, the younger giggling excitedly as he slid back down to the ground. “Hyungs,” Kihyun called, running over to Seokjin where Shownu had joined him on the grass, sitting up in alarm at their abrupt entrance. “You’ll never believe what we found.” He grinned widely, threading his fingers through Jaebum’s fur in excitement. 

They stared up at the dilapidated mansion in front of them. It was tucked between two large hills in the middle of the forest, far away from any human settlement. The house had seen better days. The right side was bare bones, a skeleton framework from where a kitchen fire had taken most of it down. The majority of the siding had fallen off or were hanging on by nails, all traces of paint long gone. Looking inside showed that much of the floor was rotted through, small critters and rainwater having ruined the interior. Off of the back of the house was a greenhouse, the glass roof had caved in decades ago but the metal framework still held strong. 

The clan stared at the house in awe as Kihyun jumped in place, holding onto Jaebum’s now-human arm, “Isn’t it beautiful?” 

Jin nodded, pulling the witch into his arms as he pressed a soft kiss to his lips, possibilities and plans running through his head at lightning speed. “It’s perfect.”

Taehyung giggled, falling against Jackson’s chest as he sang, “Home sweet home.”

#  1943 - Hot Chocolate Forged in Fire

The monotonous chanting was  _ really _ getting on Jooheon’s nerves. Honestly, if they could hurry up and just kill him already, that would be very much appreciated. He was past the point of tears. Past the point of trying to get free or begging for mercy. He was exhausted— mentally, emotionally, physically. There wasn’t an inch of his body that didn’t feel like molten lava was running through it, over it, in it. It didn’t really matter at this point. Jooheon was ready. He wondered, at this point, if there was anything that he could do to speed this process along. 

The fire in his veins spiked, making a whimper bubble up his throat through the gag tied tightly around his head. He shook in his bindings as the Goetic leader approached, still chanting ominously as he pressed a glowing ember to Jooheon’s chest, making him scream as the fire licked through his bones with renewed vigor. 

Suddenly, the chanting broke off, the witches scattering into the woods as a ferocious growl reverberated through the trees. He whimpered, head dropping forward as the ember continued to burn into his chest unrelentingly. Perhaps this was finally it. Were they finally,  _ finally _ , letting him die? 

The light of the fire was covered by a large shadow as more fast, frantic footsteps trampled through the Goetics’ ritual grounds. Loud, angry snarls echoed through the forest as the sounds of terrified screams cut off midway. The shadow came closer, large, warm hands wrapping around his biceps as another set of hands tore through the thick ropes as if they were sheer fabric. 

“You’re alright now,” a slow deep voice murmured as the hands caught him once the ropes were no longer holding him up. “You’re safe.” The voice hissed, flinching away from Jooheon as their chests connected. “What the fuck,” he murmured, panic entering his voice as he saw the still lit ember. “Hoseok-ah!” He called, much more frantic as he pulled Jooheon to his chest again. He cradled the human in his arms as he pulled him away from the pyre. The owner of the voice placed him gently on the ground on his back, making Jooheon twitch as the deep welts from before made contact. “Fuck. Hoseok-ah. He’s—”

“I see, Namjoon,” Another voice responded equally as frantic as a soft white glowing began to emit from Jooheon’s chest. 

It felt like ice water was being poured over the entirety of his body making him sigh in relief. He could feel the fire fading as Hoseok worked over top of him. Jooheon whimpered as Hoseok’s magic pulled the ember away from his chest. “Fuck, this is some dark-ass magic, Joon. I— They did too much damage to him.”

“You can’t save him?” Namjoon, the deep soothing voice that Jooheon could fall asleep to, asked. “Hoseok-ah, he’s— can’t you feel—?”

“I can feel it, Joon, and I’m telling you that  _ I  _ can’t save him. He needs a boost. Shownu-hyung— if you— if you turn him then it would give me enough leeway to heal him.”

There was a moment of silence as Shownu deliberated. “Yeah, that’ll work. Joon-ah, go collect the rest of the pack from the forest. If I’m turning him, then we’re going to claim him too. Tell them to stop playing with their food and come meet their new maknae.” 

Namjoon giggled sadly, pressing a kiss to Shownu’s cheek in thanks before getting up and sprinting towards the trees. 

“Thank you, hyung,” Hoseok murmured. 

“I can feel it too, Hoseok-ah. He’s ours. We’re not going to let him die.” Jooheon felt himself get picked up again, pulling a harsh whimper from his throat as the wolf cooed softly. “You’re alright, baby. Let’s get this off of you, huh?” Gentle fingers deftly untied the gag around Jooheon’s head, pulling the bloody fabric out of his mouth as he hummed sadly at the state of the human’s mouth. “They really did a number on you, didn't they? Aish, you poor thing. Can you tell me your name?”

Jooheon swallowed around the dryness in his throat, desperately trying to open his eyes long enough to see his savior. “Joo— Joo-ho— heon.”

“Jooheon?” Shownu asked, smiling softly at the younger. “That’s a beautiful name, sweetheart.” There was a frantic clattering as many bodies broke through the treeline, coming to a halt when they dropped down onto the ground in front of their alpha. “I’m going to bite you, Jooheon-ah,” Shownu explained softly. “The damage those Goetics did to you is too great for us to heal without turning you. But it’ll be alright. We’ll take such good care of you.” Without anymore preamble, Shownu bit down on Jooheon’s neck, making the boy whimper softly as the pain blended in with all of his other injuries. “Bam-ah,” Shownu murmured, “You’re up.”

The following minutes were a series of overwhelming emotions that weren’t his own, filling him up to the brim as each of the wolves in the clearing took turns biting into him. Jooheon wasn’t sure what was going on, he just knew that he was feeling too much and that everything  _ hurt _ and why wasn’t he just  _ dead yet _ . His mouth was guided to a wide muscled chest, Shownu stroking a finger under his chin as he whispered, “Bite down, baby. You can do it.” Jooheon did as he was told, biting down on the chest in front of him, surprised when his teeth sunk easily into the skin. There was a series of gasps around him as the wolves were connected to Jooheon. The boy pulled away when he was encouraged, head lolling to the side in exhaustion as Shownu bit down on him again. 

“Such a good pup,” a new voice murmured softly, fingers threading through his hair lovingly as the wolf leaned forward to take a deep sniff. “Another omega, hyung,” the voice said happily.

Shownu hummed in agreement, leaning forward to get a lungful of Jooheon’s new hot chocolate scent. “Mhmm, he’s perfect isn’t he? Sleep now, Jooheon-ah. Hyungs will take care of you. When you wake up you’ll feel better than ever.”

Jin watched, smiling softly as he wiped some blood from Yoongi’s cheek. “I’m glad you sensed him when you did, Kihyun-ah,” he murmured, glancing over to where Kihyun was securely wrapped in Jinyoung’s arms.

“We’re collaring this kid immediately, Jin-hyung,” Kihyun complained, watching the wolves crowd around their newest maknae. “The second we get back to the house he is getting collared so that nothing bad ever happens to him again. He’s ours and I’m not going to risk anything like this happening to him again.”

Jin laughed, nodding his head in agreement. “I think that is a wonderful idea, Ki-ah.”

#  1995 - An Unexpected Diagnosis

“Do you mind if we go to my house to work on the project, Youngjae-hyung?” A sweet voice asked from behind him. 

Said human turned around, smiling widely at the tall werewolf in front of him. “What? My shabby dorm room not good enough for you?” he asked playfully, winking exaggeratedly so that the other knew he was just joking.

“Very,” Bambam replied, smirking as he wrapped his arm around the smaller human. “Plus, my clanmates are a bit... territorial. And overprotective. They don’t like me out of their sight longer than necessary.”

Youngjae nodded, “That’s fine, Bam-ah. It’ll be nice to see how the other half lives.”

The younger rolled his eyes, pulling the human towards the entrance to the carpark. “Good. Because Yoongi-hyung is here to pick us up.”

He snorted, adjusting the straps to his backpack as they walked toward a sleek Aston Martin. “How did you know that I was going to agree?”

Bambam smiled, squeezing his shoulder tighter. “It’s cute that you think you have a choice, hyung. Once the hyungs get a load of you, you’ll be up to your eyeballs with over protective hyungs. I can’t be the only one suffering like this.”

Youngjae laughed as the wolf opened the passenger door and slid into the seat. He paused, looking around at the two-seater car for a moment before awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “You wanna, uh, give me directions and I’ll... meet you there?”

The wolf rolled his eyes fondly, reaching out of the car to pull Youngjae into his lap carefully. “You’re riding with us, hyung. You can sit on my lap— you’re small enough.” He reached up, pinching the human’s tomato-red cheeks before closing the door and sealing the elder’s fate. “This is Yoongi-hyung, hyung meet Youngjae-ah.”

Yoongi looked over to his bondmate exasperatedly before turning to smile at the newcomer fondly. “Hello, Youngjae-ah. Please call me hyung. I’m sorry about the choice of transportation. We had a bit of a mishap concerning most of our cars and a wayward spell. This was, unfortunately, the only vehicle that made it out unscathed.”

Youngjae grinned, shaking his head as he shifted in Bambam’s lap. “It’s— It’s alright, Yoongi-hyung. Thank you for inviting me into your home.”

“We’re quite happy to have you, kid. Bammie hasn’t shut up about you since the semester started.”

“Hyung!” Bambam whined, burying his face in between Youngjae’s shoulder blades as he wrapped his arms around the human’s waist tightly. 

The vampire snorted, not bothering to glance at the younger as he pulled into traffic. “What? You want me to  _ lie _ , Bambam-ah? You’ve been raving about this kid for weeks and you’re what— embarrassed?” He side-eyed the human, smirking viciously. “Besides, you’re not the only one wanting him to come over, Bam, and you know it. Every time you come home with this little human’s scent on your skin everyone in the clan goes a bit more stir crazy.”

Youngjae frowned, shifting uncomfortably in the wolf’s lap. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any problems, hyung.”

Yoongi glanced over to the human in alarm. “Ah— that’s not what I meant, kid. I was just implying that everyone in the clan really wants to meet you. Your scent— it— we like it. A lot.”

The wolf rubbed soothingly at Youngjae’s stomach. “You smell really good, hyungie. Can’t really describe it though. Humans don’t really have defined scents but it's sweet and floral like it already belongs in our clan. Everyone really wants to meet you.” He pressed his face into the human’s back again in embarrassment. “I talk about you to my hyungs a lot,” he admitted quietly. 

Youngjae looked out the window awkwardly, trying to avoid the confession from the wolf. “Ah— I think I’d talk about you all the time too,” he responded softly, closing his eyes as he tried to tune out the twin coos from the two supernatual beings in the car. “Aish, don’t look too deeply into it Bambam. Hush.”

The younger giggled, pressing a soft, quick kiss to the human’s neck just as Yoongi pulled up to an expansive mansion that sprawled across a large clearing in the middle of the woods. Youngjae looked around in amazement, a little unsure how he missed so much of the drive to their home. “Wow,” he whispered. “You  _ live  _ here?”

Bambam nodded, opening the door and encouraging the human off of his lap before getting out after him. He wrapped his arm around the smaller’s shoulders, pulling him close to his side as he led him up to the front doors. Yoongi followed closely behind, brushing his hand down Youngjae’s back as he passed by. 

There was a series of squeals from further in the house as Bambam helped Youngjae take off his shoes before leading him to a large, open living room. The human stared in awe at the lavish decor surrounding him. 

From his right there was a soft, fond chuckle, the most beautiful man he had ever seen coming out from another room as he smiled at Youngjae affectionately. “Welcome to our home, Youngjae-ah. My name is Seokjin and this is my clan. I am so very pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Youngjae bowed quickly, staring at Seokjin in shock before stuttering out his own greeting making the elder laugh. There was a crash, followed by the loud stampeding of multiple sets of feet before a small herd of young men tumbled down the main staircase. The human yelped in surprise, running over to help the nearest boy up as he checked for any visible injuries. “Oh god, are you alright?”

The boy in front of him grinned excitedly, head bobbing rapidly before pulling the human into his arms in a near-bone crushing hug. “Ah, you’re so cute and tiny and  _ adorable _ ,” the man gushed, shaking Youngjae slightly as he bounced. “Aish, you’re even sweeter than Bammie described!” He pulled back slightly to smoosh the human’s cheeks between his large palms. “We’re keeping you forever!”

“Jackson-hyung,” Bambam scolded, coming up to carefully remove the boy from the beta’s grasp. “Don’t scare Youngjae-hyung away.” He wrapped his arms around the human’s waist from behind protectively as he buried his nose in the younger’s hair. 

“That’s fucking adoable that you call him ‘hyung’ Bam-ah,” a small, fairy-like vampire observed, smiling at the two of them fondly as he brushed imaginary dust off of his pants when he stood up from the floor. 

Bambam huffed irritably, “You make me call you ‘hyung’ too, Jiminie. Besides, Youngjae-hyung _ is _ older than me, at least in looks.”

Youngjae shifted, looking at the omega behind him in reproach. “Do I even want to know how old you really are, Bambam? Should I be calling you ahjussi?”

There was a series of tittering laughter that came from the pile of limbs slowly untangling themselves on the floor. “Aigoo, Youngjae-ah,” a deep voice cooed, the witch pulling himself up from the ground to pull the human into his arms. “You are too precious. We’re all much too old to be an ahjussi. But just call us all ‘hyung,’ okay? Except Bammie. Please keep referring to him as your dongsaeng because he is a literal baby.”

The human huffed, partially in annoyance but also severely amused by the other’s antics. “I feel like I’m being mocked and I’m not sure how I feel about it.”

“You love it,” the witch encouraged, sending the human a wide, boxy smile. “I’m Taehyung. It’s very good to finally meet you.”

Youngjae smiled, humoring the elder as he pinched his cheeks as if he were a small child. “I think it’s good to meet you too, Taehyung-hyung,” he replied, making the elder giggle.

He was pulled from the maknaes’ grips by Seokjin, the clanhead gently picking him up as if he were an oversized teddy bear. Youngjae’s cheeks felt as if they were set on fire from the severity of the blush settling under his skin as he gripped the elder in his panic over losing grip with the floor making the vampire chuckle fondly. Jin settled himself in a large, overstuffed armchair, keeping Youngjae securely in his lap as he pet back the human’s hair. The vampire hummed as he rubbed his cheek against Youngjae’s hair. 

Bambam huffed as he plopped down onto Shownu’s lap on the couch nearest Jin’s chair. “You do remember I brought hyungie over because we have a project to work on, right?”

Jin smiled widely, moving one arm to encompass Youngjae’s tiny waist as he tucked him further against his chest. “You can’t honestly believe that you could bring home such a sweet treasure and not expect me to smother him in affection, now did you, Bam-ah?” he chided playfully, rubbing Youngjae’s tummy with his large hand. “You can have him back in a bit. For now, he should grow more acquainted with the clan, don’t you think?”

The omega sighed exasperatedly, shooting his human friend a look that said, ‘I tried but I guess you’ll just have to bear it’ before sinking back against his alpha. “Of course. I would never deny you of anyone’s cuddles, hyung,” he simpered. “But we do need to work on our project at some point tonight.”

The clanhead nodded seriously. “Of course, Bambam. Your education is very important.”

Wonho walked in with Jooheon on his back, their newest omega sleepily nuzzling into his alpha’s neck as he glanced around the living room curiously. He perked up as he caught sight of Youngjae, nearly falling off of Wonho’s back in his excitement. “Oh! You’re much cuter than Bambam described.”

Youngjae looked away, afraid that any more embarrassment would literally make him combust. This was not what he had signed up for when he had agreed to be Bambam’s project partner. Sure he had known that the younger was a part of a clan and that said clan were very... overbearing. And sure he had the world’s largest crush on the omega wolf known to mankind and therefore knew that if he ever wanted to go anywhere further with said crush he would also have to woo Bambam’s mates as well. He just never imagined that wooing a bunch of ancient supernatural beings would be as easy as breathing. “Ah... thank you.”

Jooheon grinned widely, wiggling off of the alpha’s back before kneeling in front of the human, collecting the younger’s hands in his. “My name is Jooheon. If you get overwhelmed please let us know. I know how overwhelming the hyungs can be. Especially when you’re not used to their special brand of affection.”

The human nodded his head slowly, staring at the wolf in shock as he fluttered off as quickly as he had come, dive bombing a group of men on a couch a little further away. 

Eventually, Jin did let Bambam and Youngjae escape to the younger’s room to get started on their project. They were left uninterrupted for a few hours before Jinyoung came up to fetch them for dinner. Minhyuk took the opportunity to collect Youngjae in his lap during the meal, taking great pride in hand-feeding the younger despite his embarrassed protests. 

The human thanked the hyungs profusely for the meal, raving over how delicious everything was for a solid ten minutes before Mark cooed, pulling the boy into his side as he pinched his cheeks affectionately. 

As he was getting his shoes on to leave for the night, Seokjin approached with a little wooden box in his hands. “Youngjae-ah,” he began, tone the most serious he had heard come out of the elder all night. “We are incredibly fond of you. And none of us like the idea of you leaving alone.” He opened the box, pulling out a soft-looking dark maroon collar, making the human blush at the implications associated with the jewelry. “It would make us all feel better if you agreed to wear this while you’re not in this house.”

“What— what is it?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s a claim. And a protection charm. And a tracking charm. So that we know that you’re always safe even when you’re not in our sights.”

Youngjae thought for a moment, staring at the rich-looking piece of fabric before slowly nodding his head, reaching out to take it.

Seokjin smiled, stepping forward with it and instead of handing it over, buckled it to the human’s neck instead. “Sorry, angel. Hyung has to put it on you himself. Thank you, baby.”

He ducked his head, biting the inside of his cheek as he tried not to blush  _ again _ . “Thank you for wanting to keep me safe, hyung.”

“ _ Always _ .”

Youngjae was at the clan house again. At this point he was resigned to admit that he spent more time there than in his own dorm room. Being with the hyungs was so easy and they never treated him like he was less or fragile like most other supernatural creatures he had met on campus tended to do with humans. He was out in the gardens, surprisingly alone, as he stared up at the clouds floating across the sky when he felt a presence behind his head. He looked back, smiling widely as he caught sight of the clanhead who took his smile as an invitation to lay down on the grass next to him. 

“What are you doing, baby?” He asked, reaching down to thread his fingers through the human’s.

“Just... thinking,” Youngjae replied softly, glancing over at the elder before looking back up at the sky. 

Jin smiled fondly, “Anything in particular?”

“How long did it take before you could be out in the sun like then after you were turned?” He asked, determinedly not looking at the vampire.

The elder closed his eyes, thinking for a moment before responding. “A little more than a hundred years ago I think. It was right around when we met the wolves that Yoongi and I could finally walk in the sun again so... almost nine hundred years?”

Youngjae bit his lip, watching as a particularly fluffy cloud floated overhead. “I don’t know if I can go that long without seeing the sun, hyung,” he admitted quietly. 

Jin smiled, pulling Youngjae’s head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around the human. “We have charms for that now, angel. It’s not like when I was a fledgling. This clan has a whole coven of witches who take pride in helping their clanmates. The greenhouse is completely charmed against the sun’s rays— even more so than the windows in the house. We can feel the sun without getting the negative effects.” He combed his fingers through the younger’s hair. “Are you thinking about letting me sire you, treasure?” he asked, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice.

The human slowly nodded his head, pressing close to Jin’s chest. “I love you, hyung. You and the clan. I’ve never felt like this before and I don’t ever want to lose this feeling.”

Tears bit at the corner of Jin’s eyes as he pressed firm little kisses to the top of his human’s head. “We love you too, Youngjae-ah. More than words could possibly express. Siring you would make me so indescribably happy.” He pet the boy’s hair affectionately. “However, it’s not your only option to stay with us forever. If you don’t think the vampire life is for you, you could always accept Shownu’s bite instead. That’s not saying that I wouldn’t die of happiness if you let me be the one to turn you. I just want you to know that this is entirely your decision whenever you choose to make that choice.”

“No, I want to be a vampire like you, hyung,” Youngjae stated, shaking his head lightly. “Jooheon-hyung and I talked last weekend about his change. All of those emotions and needs that come with being a wolf aren’t things that I want to deal with. Plus, you  _ know _ that my secondary presentation would be an omega too which would throw off the balance of the pack. Besides... I like the idea of being able to drink from my hyungs.” 

Seokjin cooed, pressing another kiss to the younger’s hair as he gently squeezed him more tightly to his chest. “I like the idea of you drinking from me too, angel.” 

“I want to wait for a bit though, hyung,” Youngjae continued softly. “I want to make a list. I know it’s a bit selfish, since none of you got to make a list before you lost your humanity but—”

“There’s nothing selfish about wanting to be human, Youngjae-ah,” the vampire scolded gently. “Every single member of this clan would agree with that statement as well. We want you to be happy and healthy. You can wait until you’re old and grey to be turned by me if you want, sweetheart. You’ll always be my baby.”

Youngjae nodded, wrapping his arms around the elder in thanks. “Will you help me? Make a list? It’s kind of overwhelming to do on my own.”

“I’d be happy to help.”

Youngjae was... tired. Granted, it was exam season, but he found himself more lethargic than usual. He shook his head as he tried to clear the cobwebs in his brain before grabbing his backpack and making his way downstairs. Jaebum met him as the base of the steps, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to the human’s cheek fondly. 

“Good morning, baby,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around the younger’s waist. “Jinyoung-ah made breakfast.”

“Not hungry, hyung,” Youngjae mumbled, pressing his forehead against the elder’s shoulder.

Jaebum hummed in concern, reaching a hand up to feel his forehead. “Hmm... you don’t have a fever. Are you feeling sick, baby?”

He shook his head, closing his eyes as everything got blurry for a moment. “No— just tired. ‘m almost done with exams, hyung. Then I can sleep for like a week.”

The elder frowned, moving to cup both of Youngjae’s cheeks gently. “Will you eat for hyung anyway? It’ll give you energy and make hyungs worry less.”

Youngjae smiled fondly, nodding his head against Jaebum’s chest as the dizziness faded. “For you, hyung, I will.” 

Jaebum grinned brightly, pulling back so that they could move to the kitchen. Just as they reached the doorway, Youngjae’s vision whited out as his dizziness kicked in tenfold. He staggered, grasping onto the door frame tightly as he sucked in a terrified breath. “Hyung,” he gasped out, feeling himself falling as the world faded to black.

An inoperable brain tumor. 

Youngjae stared at the doctor dumbfounded. He was  _ fine _ . He had been fine. Sure he had been having more migraines than usual lately. And sure, the exhaustion and dizziness was a bit concerning but— a brain tumor?

He shook his head, closing his eyes as he tried to tune the professional out. This couldn’t be happening. 

“ _ He has three months at most... the tumor is too large to operate... I’m sorry, there’s nothing we can do but make him comfortable.” _

He gasped, unable to suck in any air as the panic set in. Youngjae felt arms wrap around him tightly. “I’ve heard enough, thank you, doctor. We’ll take it from here.”

Seokjin hummed softly by his ear, pressing soft, frantic kisses to his face as he held the baby. “Let’s go home, treasure,” he murmured, gently unhooking the human from the monitors. He picked up the boy, cradling him as if he were a baby as Jaebum ran ahead to get the door. “We’ll fix this. Hyungs will fix this.”

Youngjae moaned as they reached the outdoors, burying his face in the elder’s chest as the sun blinded him. He felt Jin move carefully, sitting down in the car as he kept the maknae tight to his chest. “Hyung,” he whispered, clenching Seokjin’s shirt fiercely. “I don’t want to die, hyung.”

“You’re not going to, angel,” he reassured, petting the younger’s hair. “I’m sure— I’m sure the witches have something that can heal you.” He was silent for a moment staring out the window blankly as he tried not to cry. “But— but if they can’t— treasure— will you let hyung turn you? I know— I know you wanted to wait but— I can’t— I _ won’t _ — lose you. Baby please?”

The human sobbed, wrapping his arms around the elder tightly, “I want to stay with hyung. Please don’t let me die. Please just turn me— I— I don’t want to wait anymore. I want to be with hyungs forever.” 

Jin breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank you, treasure. Thank you. We’ll take such good care of you.”

#  2020 - Back to the Beginning 

Wonho was convinced Hoseok was running them in circles. He knew for a fact that they had walked past this particular side street three times because the poor sap sleeping on one of the closed down shops was still there, hunched over against the chilly winter wind. The wolf paused at the mouth of the street, leaving Hoseok to barrel on ahead obliviously. The figure had shifted, tattered hoodie nearly riding up before the man hastily pulled it back down. There was something wrong; Wonho could sense it. Hoseok would have found the potions shop by now if he had been meant to find it— just like Wonho would have walked past the mouth of the alley if he hadn’t been meant to catch sight of the man hiding under a flimsy awning. 

Hoseok was still talking to him as he rounded the corner, immediately coming up behind the wolf from the previous corner behind him. “— and Tae-ah had the  _ gall _ to tell me—  _ me _ — what goes into a nightlife potion— like energy spells aren’t my specialt—” The witch paused, looking up at the elder standing in front of him in confusion. “Hyung? When did you get ahead of me?”

“I didn’t,” he stated, looking back down the side street. “I haven’t moved. We’re in a loop.”

The younger looked around in shock, eyes widening, “What the fuck—  _ why _ ? I don’t— I don’t sense anything malicious though?”

Wonho shook his head, nodding towards the figure still hunched over. “I don’t think it is. Might be subconscious?”

The witch hummed in understanding, taking a careful step into the mouth of the adjacent street. When he didn’t end up someplace else, he took another, surer step. Wonho quickly followed until they were standing above the, now-admittedly, much smaller figure than originally assumed. The man in front of them whimpered, whole body jerking in response before tensing. He took another careful step, “Are you alright, sir?” Wonho asked hesitantly. 

The stranger groaned, tucking himself impossibly smaller as he muttered, “I’m fine. Please leave me alone.”

He shifted closer, practically on top of the smaller man as he took a curious sniff of the winter air. Vanilla and Chai tea invaded his senses. He gasped in shock, taking another, more frantic sniff. “You’re a vampire,” he stated, eyes wide as he crouched down to get on the other’s level. The vampire gasped, whimpering as the sunlight made direct contact with his hoodie again. “Oh god,” he exclaimed, standing up to pull his coat off of his shoulders. “Hobi, get your umbrella. He’s a baby.” 

Hoseok swore under his breath as he quickly pulled out his umbrella, opening it quickly before standing over the baby vampire. The vampire sighed in relief as the two worked above him, Wonho tucking his coat tightly around the fledgling as Hoseok worked on forming a sun shield around them. 

“You’re okay,” the wolf cooed as he gently pulled the stranger’s hands away from his head to guide the tense limbs through his coat sleeves.” We’ve got you. You can look up, kid. Hobi’s put us in a tinted bubble. The sun won’t hurt you.” He brought his hand up to the boy’s head, rubbing it fondly before dragging it down to his back to rub it fondly. He saw the boy’s head slowly peek out from the side of his hood, tired, weary eyes carefully looking around in confusion before sitting up completely in surprise. The kid looked— emaciated, Wonho noted worriedly. It was obvious that the childe had been living rough since his turning, if not before as well. His dark hair fell limply in front of his eyes as he watched the two men in front of him with distrust. 

Hoseok moved to crouch down next to the boy. “Hi, kid,” he greeted, voice soft and melodic as it flowed out of his mouth. He brought a hand up to softly ruffle the fledgling’s bangs where they were poking out from his hoodie. “What are you doing out so late?”

The boy’s voice was deep when he mumbled, “I ran out of time before the sun came up.”

Wonho could literally see Hoseok’s heart melting for the fledgling as he reached out to encompass the boy’s smaller hands in his own and asked him his name.

The boy’s eyes were wide with wonder as marveled at Hoseok’s hands, “Changkyun.”

They fell in love at first sight; the feeling reminiscent of when they first met Youngjae. He was one of theirs— and they were going to take care of him. They found out Changkyun didn’t have a sire. Broke their hearts to bits when they found out he already had himself a pack. A pack that, from the sounds of it, were just as young and in just as rough shape as their fledgling. Wonho pulled the fledgling into his arms as Hoseok tied his coat tightly around them to protect the vampire from the sun. They left the side street, stomachs swirling in discontent at everything they had learned about their newest charge. Hoseok offered to stop by a pharmacy to get Changkyun’s packmate the medicine that he had been out looking for in the first place. Their hearts broke further when the fledgling cautiously admitted that he couldn’t pay for it— that he had planned to steal what he needed. There was no denying it now— this childe and his packmates were being adopted. Their resolve only strengthened when Seokjin called, spoke to the boy and demanded that Wonho and Hoseok take care of him and his pack. 

Wonho thought he had died and went to heaven when he convinced Changkyun to drink from him, his soft cinnamon roll scent melding perfectly with the boy’s packmates scents under his skin. He could feel Hoseok’s jealousy rolling off him in waves as they pulled up to an empty field. Both of them nearly had a heart attack when the fledgling tried to run out into the midday sun, eyes widening at the adorable little giggle as escaped the vampire’s lips. 

Changkyun’s packmates, Yugyeom and Jungkook, were just as sweet, just as adorable, as their vampire counterpart. 

And just as much the clan’s. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give me a week, I said. psh... I underestimated myself. I hope you all enjoyed this bonus chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. It feels a bit bittersweet to finally be hanging my hat on this piece but I am excited to move on to new projects. Thank you all for your love and support through this fic and I can't wait to see you in future works <3


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